All I Ever Wanted
by xwildxdreamer
Summary: Sookie Stackhouse is not who she pretends to be. What happens to the young woman when she is forced to come out of the coffin? Who's her powerful father and true mate? This is an EricxSookie story.
1. So It Begins

**Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at a True Blood fanfic. It's been swirling around in my head for a few days' now. I'd like to give a shout out to my beta prettyinpunk66 for her help. Also****, I make no profit from this. True Blood is the property of Charlaine Harris and Allan Bell. Reviews make me want to write more so please tell me what you think or if I should even continue this. **

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><p>Not everyone had a story that they wanted to tell. Or rather, not everyone's story should be told. For a certain blonde haired waitress in the small, sleepy town of Bon Temps, Louisiana near the bayou, this situation was true. She was older than anyone acknowledged, save the select few that actually knew her true history. She had found it easy to pretend to be someone she wasn't. After all, her gift was one that would allow her this chance. Her gift? Well, there were times when she thought of it as more of a curse. Her name was Sookie and she could hear thoughts. The thoughts of the humans, at least. She pretended to be a member of the Stackhouse family, but it wasn't easy.<p>

There weren't a lot of photos of her as a young child and her brother Jason didn't seem to remember her before a certain point. Some could call it a well-executed glamour from a young woman who shouldn't even be alive. Yet, Sookie was always close-lipped about her past and what she was. The only two people that knew the truth was her true father, and the one that would be her mate. Even though neither of the mentioned two had actually met, they would some day. If the second curse that the young woman had didn't get in the way.

She had so many things to hide and thankfully the woman that had 'raised' her the last twenty years had been a wonderful woman. Adele Stackhouse knew a lot more than anyone thought, that much was quite clear. Of course she'd been the only one that the young blonde had confided in inside the town of Bon Temps. It was such a backwater town for someone like her to be from, but it was a good place to hide and recover. Hiding was exactly what she was doing.

No one really knows what Sookie was doing prior to her arrival in Bon Temps and she likes it that way. Of course, she also doesn't tell them about how Adele had found her in such a state that the older woman was almost afraid she'd be dead before morning. How she had to explain about certain sensitivities and dietary issues that would make most people cringe and pull away. After all, to the world, Sookie was human. To the supernatural world, she was the answer to everyone's problems and she was hunted... by a few.

Only the old ones, the ancients, knew exactly who and what she really was. They were the ones that respected her, feared her. It was the younger vampires, regents and monarchs alike in both the New and Old World, that thought she was nothing more than a myth. It didn't help that Sookie really tried to perpetuate that she was nothing more than someone's figment of their imagination. There was a part of her that knew if her father truly knew what was happening with her, he would have left his position and dragged her back by her ear. She loved the man with everything she had, but she worked very hard to mute their bond over the long, lonely years.

Sookie would have been stupid if she had thought that she could avoid all the Supe drama for too long. Not when it was clear that her pseudo-cousin Hadley was missing and probably blabbing her mouth off to whomever would listen. Sookie couldn't live with her, with her close family and friends, and have them not know her dirty little secret. Well, one of them anyway. They knew she could read minds, but thankfully most of the town just thought she was crazy and she went along with it.

Only the time for her to truly face her destiny was upon her. She couldn't hide much longer. Those that had hurt her in the past were gearing up to find her again, to track her down and show her that to them she was nothing more than a useless blood bag. After all, what was a fairy hybrid really supposed to do to against vampires? Nothing, was what they thought but they would have been more than wrong.

Tonight was the night that everything changed. In all honesty, it'd been a relatively quiet night at Merlotte's, but Sookie just had the sense that something was going to happen. It didn't matter that she was once again in one of her 'crazy' moods or what anyone thought. She could sense things that none of the humans could and even then they mostly ignored her unless it was to say nasty things in her mind. Her shields were only semi-holding through her headache as she tried to figure out what was going on around her.

It was rare when the young woman's defenses were down, but more and more lately she'd been having trouble with her shields and things would slip through. At least, that was what happened until the door chimed once more, signalling that someone knew had entered the bar. It was time for her to pretend that she didn't know who they were, to play the dumb blonde Sookie rather than the woman that was older than every vampire in the state, even her own sheriff. Turning from the bar where she was speaking with Sam and Tara, Sookie saw the vampire as he took a seat.

To her the man glowed and she knew exactly who he was, but wondered if he was going to play the role that he had no idea who she really was or that she shouldn't know him. While she might not have actually met this vampire in person, the woman knew his name and knew from whose court he came to collect her. She'd be damned if she let Sophie Anne get her hands on her again. The torture had been something she wasn't sure she would have lived through, despite the fact she'd made it out alive and ran away.

Pretending to be surprised at a vampire in the bar, remembering that only two years prior the Great Reveal had happened that had outed them to the human world, Sookie plastered a fake smile on her face and bounced off to take his order. She was quite sure that Sam and Tara were not as happy or enthusiastic about it as she was.

After all, they only knew that she was some hapless human who could read thoughts. They had no idea that she knew more about the supe world than they ever thought was possible. The arrival of this vampire meant more than anyone would realize. It was an end to her hiding in the shadows, to being safe from the machinations of Queen Sophie Anne. It also meant that she would need to return and claim her rightful place beside her father and her mate. Though she knew exactly what would happen if something were to go wrong.

Standing near the vampire, she spoke quickly and succinctly with the fake southern twang that people in this town used. She hoped that he wouldn't see past it. After all, if he's here it meant that Sophie Anne had discovered where she had run off too. Though, she didn't know what she was trying to gain. Sookie hadn't allowed her power to be used by her in the past and she'd barely survived it the first time. The spoiled child-queen was far too naive to understand that Sookie wasn't a tool. She never believed the rumors about the woman, the tales that should have kept her safe. She'd barely managed to leave New Orleans and struggled her way here to Bon Temps.

"What can I getcha"?

"I'll have one of those truebloods if you have it?"

"No, sorry we don't. We had a few a while back, but they went bad. You're the first vampire we've had. Can I get you anything else though?"

"Some red wine please? So I have an excuse to sit here."

The sound of this vampire's voice bothered the young woman more than she liked. It was oily, like a snake, and grated on her nerves. Still, she couldn't let on about anything, other than that she was some dumb blonde human that seemed to not fear vampires too much. As she nodded at the man, trying to be 'normal', Sookie watched as the two people she wouldn't wish on any one, vampire or human take notice. It wasn't easy not to glare at the Rattrays as they leaned over the back of their booth to speak to the vampire.

"Don't mind Sookie none mister. She's crazy."

"I'll be right back with your wine, don't you go no where.":

She couldn't help how she felt about them. They were the epitome of white trash, but she was too much of a lady to say anything about it. At least for now, though as she moved away to get the vampire his wine, she heard the thoughts of the nasty couple and wondered if she should even intervene. Sookie wasn't a stupid young woman, she knew that the vampire would probably glamour the couple in hopes of trying to get something out of it.

Not being able to really do much, Sookie took the vampire his wine and went to her other customers. She was trying very hard not to give herself away, not to make it seem like she was the person that the vampire might be after. The blonde knew that if she hadn't muted her connection with her father she'd have the back up she needed to deal with this. As it was, she had no idea how she was going to get out of it unless she ended up with a meeting with the Sheriff of Area 5 and she didn't want that. Yet.

All she could do now was wait and hope that nothing tipped the scales. Up until this point she'd had a relatively quiet life all be it one that people couldn't understand. Sookie didn't want anyone hating her or thinking she was up to no good. Then a vampire had to go and make himself known, letting the world know that even in Bon Temps things weren't always as they seemed.


	2. First Interactions

She had been so busy that at first Sookie had thought that maybe the vampire had just gotten up and left. Her section had demanded that she refill their beers or get them some more food. Anything that distracted her from the vampire that had entered. Not that she could fault them. She was a waitress after all. It was only a matter of time before she had to go take care of someone else.

When her blue eyes managed to gaze over at the table where the mysterious man had been she sighed as she spotted him gone and the Rattray's as well. If Sookie had been someone other than who she was things would have gone a lot worse for her. As it was she pretending so hard to be a stupid little blonde bimbo waitress that didn't know anything about the Supe community. What she really wanted to do was find a way to stop Bill from doing whatever glamor it was that he was about to do and create a huge headache for her.

She'd worked so hard to hide right now and not have to report to whomever was in charge. Mostly it had been out of fear. With what had happened to her for the last hundred years she'd been afraid to let her family know, so that they could do anything about it. She didn't want them giving up their lives for her, not when she alone was a freak of nature and a freak against the vampire cause.

With a sigh, Sookie took a moment to try to 'collect' herself as she started to let her shields down and the crazy overtake her. There was a part of herself that honestly knew she wasn't crazy but when you accidentally answer someone else's thoughts it tends to make them think you are all kinds of right in the head. It wasn't easy to figure out what was going on and she wasn't psychic, just telepathic. Even so it wasn't the time to show off her other 'gifts' especially not if this vampire was in cahoots with who she thought he was.

With both the dark haired vampire and the Rattray's gone Sookie knew that she was in for a world of strange and probably hurt. Still pushing away the thought that someone should protect her she ran out of the back of the bar and into the parking lot. She honestly was trying to save the man's life and probably didn't even care enough to make a difference. Someone had sent him him. Vampires didn't just come to this podunk little town for no reason. Yet she was going to pretend to be some blonde bimbo who knew nothing about the Supe world in hopes that she could get answers.

With her shields down, Sookie heard the thoughts and voices of Denise and Mack. They were arguing over if they should have taken him home or just drained him out there in the back parking lot of Merlotte's. Neither option was actually the right one but she wasn't the sheriff and wouldn't be extracting justice on them. Drainers always got theirs in the end. Letting her blue eyes scan the parking lot the young woman saw the chain that Jason had in the back of his truck for this very reason and snatched it up.

One thing that Sookie always forgot, even over the centuries, was that there were times when she would let her nerves get the best of her and her shields would fail. The only times she found that they were the strongest was when her father was around. She assumed if she ever found the vampire that was to be her other half he or she would help her keep them up too. It's not hard to imagine that it took a lot of work, and she was mostly human after all.

Why she'd come out here after this man she didn't know or why she'd tried to attack the drainers either. She had. With the chain in her hands, the blonde moved towards the scene she found. Letting the chain swing she watched as it landed across Mack's back with loud thwacking sound. It took a moment for her to not break out into a huge grin. That would have defeated the purpose of her trying to rescue this vampire.

She watched as Mack regained his footing, screamed and got ready to attack. He pulled a knife from his boot and for a moment Sookie was afraid. Not that she thought that she could die. If she were honest, and someone knew the true story of her life they'd understood that it was impossible to give her true death, didn't mean they didn't try.

"You crazy bitch!" Mack yelled at Sookie as he moved in to attack. His thoughts rammed into her like a car crash, showing exactly what the man wanted to do to her if he managed to get his hands upon her flesh. She couldn't have that. Chucking the chain, and using a small amount of telekinesis, a power that was so weak in her right now that no one would notice it, Sooke watched as the chain wrapped and squeezed around Mack's neck. He started to flail around and in doing so the knife sliced through her arm.

Denise had a few choice words for Sooke who gave back just as good as she got before the other woman was gone and helping Mack get away as well. With them out of the way, Sookie moved towards the vampire and sighed. He was smarter than to let himself get drained and she knew deep inside that this was her chance to pretend to be the stupid blonde that everyone thought she was. In truth, Sookie was holding out for her introduction to meet the local sheriff. If he was whom she thought he was, then her life was about to change, for the better.

Moving to help this vampire sit up, Sookie removed the silver chains from his body and helped him move into a sitting position. "Push with your feet!" She almost demanded as she worked to get him leaning against a tree. In truth, Sookie didn't want to be touching this vampire. Not that she didn't mind vampires, this one just seemed to get on her nerves and all he'd done was show up at Merlotte's.

She could hear nothing in the air around her, no thoughts. Then again, not being able to hear vampires was something she'd always known about but they didn't know. Sookie had known that she couldn't stay hidden in the human world for too long. Not with the Great Reveal that happened and more so with the fact that she'd been kidnapped and tortured long before she escaped. She was quite sure that her own father thought she was dead, since she'd blocked his bond with her. It was hard but she couldn't risk him coming and saving her, things had to work out in a certain way.

When the vampire was safely moved to the spot where he could rest some, Sookie looked around at him. Her knees gave out on her a bit and she knelt next to him on the dirt and grass. Laying on the southern charm thick and sweet, Sookie was trying to gauge his reactions to the situation. She didn't feel like she needed to tell him just yet who she was. Even though there was a voice in the back of her head that was telling her that this vampire know exactly who she was and he didn't care about the laws protecting her.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here faster," she pauses for a moment and tries to think about what to say. " You'll feel better in a minute right? Do you want me to leave?"

"No."

People watching had always been something that Sookie had been good at. Now she was watching waiting to see what he would say. Certain things had to be revealed in certain ways or the entire plan of hers would go up in smoke.

"They might come back, and I can't fight yet."

Sookie watched as the vampire tried to right himself and get everything squared away. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he scented the air and tried to find the best way to get her to give him the information that he wanted. She wasn't stupid, even though for the benefit of the people in Bon Temps, she'd been playing that for a while. She was a virgin though, the one torture that she'd been able to get them not to do. Shaking her head to clear the nasty thoughts, Sookie focused herself back on Bill as he spoke. She glared at him as he seemed to be a bit pissed off that he was rescued by a woman.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been stupid enough to glamor the fools into trying to drain him in the first place. She knew this was a test and she was going to play along and let him think he'd found the telepath he was looking for. He looked young enough to not know what happened to vampires that truly wanted to hurt her. In truth the only thing that had stopped Sookie from taking her claim straight to the Magister after she'd escaped the hell that was Sophie Anne's court was simply that she wanted her father and vampire mate there with her when she presented the evidences of the blood offenses.

"Oh." Pausing a moment Sookie let her gaze land on the dark one of the vampire by her. "I can't hear you."

"Thank you!"

She wanted to slap him upside his stupid head for that. She wasn't hard of hearing, idiot.

"No. No…. I can hear you speak, but….." She paused a moment before placing her hands on his face in a dramatic effect to try to get him to understand what she was saying. He was completely blank to her, like a void, but not a very big one. Sookie could tell the age of vampires by the size of their voids. Her father's was very large but then he was a very old vampire too.

Letting the situation get away from her, Sookie barely paid any attention to what she was saying or doing until Bill tried to seduce her with his oily voice. In all honestly she started to shake from the creep factor on the inside while maintaining a stoic face on the outside. She'd learned a long time ago to master the perfect poker face. A pure mix of nonchalance and boredom that one only see's from vampires.

"Now you cut that out right now mister. I won't stand for that." Her voice was tart and she knew that Adele, the wonderful human woman that had given her shelter and knew her true secrets would be mildly amused. Sookie was not the complete southern belle that she pretended to be but she did still have morals and values. This man was about to meet her palm if he kept this schtick up.

"Aren't you afraid to be alone with a hungry vampire?"

"Nope."

"are you assuming that since you came to my rescue that you're safe, that I harbor an ounce of sentimental feeling after all these years? Vampires often turn on those who trust them. We don't have human values , you know."

Sookie tried so very hard not to say something crass and ruin the mood. She was playing very well but she also knew that there were vampires who didn't betray their trust. If you'd earned the trust of a vampire, the older ones especially, then it was yours until you betrayed it. If you betrayed it you were dead. It was that simple. Yes she did believe that they had human sentimentality but with age it made it harder sometimes to remember what that was like.

"A lot of humans turn on those who trust them I'm not a total fool." As she said that, Sookie wrapped the silver chain around her neck and let it drape across her arms. Of course there were other safeguards in place to protect her but those would be a surprise only if he tried to actually eat her. Not that he'd get very far. He wouldn't be the first vampire she'd put to death and his death wouldn't get her any punishment from the Magister should a Tribunal be called.

She watched as this vampire watched her movements. He knew that she was safeguarding herself but he was trying to be seductive and only succeeded in pissing her off and making her long for a stake. Inside she was trying so very hard not to vomit.

"But there's a juicy artery in your groin." He started to say before Sookie's temper got the better of her.

She knew all about that artery and she knew the connotations of choosing that one. If this creature thought he'd be lucky enough to sample it he was dead wrong. His blood was repulsive to her in more ways than one, as was the thought of anyone but her father or her mate taking her blood. Not that her own father took her blood. He rarely needed it and it was never sexual for them when it happened. He was her papa for crying out loud. The man that had borne her all those years ago and brought her with him into this new world.

"Don't you talk dirty. I won't listen to that. When you talk to me you'll talk to me like the lady I am."

Her voice held fire inside of it and this vampire knew to back down. He wasn't going to win her over with talk like that. So she watched as the vampire started to backpedal in his words. He was still doing his own sort of investigation upon her, trying to see if she was who he was looking for. For now, Sookie was going to go with his plan and hope that something came to her. She needed an in with whoever was in charge in this area. In truth she had been stupid to show up in Area 5 and not find out who managed it, or whom she could go too but she'd been barely alive and nursed back to health by Adele that she'd just hidden herself away.

"Would you like to drink the blood they collected? It would be a way for me to show my gratitude. My blood is supposed to improve your sex life and your health."

That oily voice made her cringe. She already knew what his goal was, to find a way to get his blood into her system. For now though, Sookie was going to continue to play dumb. He didn't need to know that there were only two vampires in known existence whose blood she could actually take and not get sick from. That information was best to be saved for a later date.

"I'm healthy as a horse and I have no sex life to speak of. You do what you want with it."

"You could sell it."

"I wouldn't touch it."

"You're different. What are you?"

"Well I'm Sookie Stackhouse, and I'm a waitress. What's your name?"

"Bill"

She couldn't understand why the laughter came to her then. She knew that vampires didn't always have exoctic names but really to be named Bill. That was just amusing her to no end. It did, however, confirm to her that she knew exactly whom it was that was after her. Bill Compton, the best procurer that Queen Sophie Anne had and he was here in Bon Temps, looking for her no doubt.

"The vampire Bill! I thought it might be Antoine, or Basil, or Langford! Bill!"

She couldn't fight back the laughter again as she said goodby to the vampire Bill and headed back towards the parking lot at Merlotte's. Let him think that she was just some crazy human. She'd already given him a secret about who she really was for now. He didn't need anymore ammunition.

Sauntering off back into the parking lot at Merlotte's, Sookie saw Sam staring at her and she made a motion for him to meet her in his office. She had things to say to him and they needed the privacy of his soundproofed office to do that. When she'd entered the bar again the blonde sighed and turned towards the door. She could sense the void that was Bill leaving and heading to wherever it was that he was going for the night.

Entering Sam's office the telepath looked at the shifter. She knew what Sam was, Sam knew that she knew. They were more than aware of a lot of things. Sam also knew that if things went south he'd be the one having to call the Sheriff down here and he hated Northman with a passion.

"Cher. You alright?"

Sookie looked up at the man that was one of her dearest friends and her boss. She had known about Sam's feelings but she had made it abundantly clear that her life was destined for a vampire. Either he accepted it or he stopped talking to her. Of course the first time she'd flashed a fang at him, shown him that she was more than human, he'd backed off and they'd had a civilized discussion. Sam was the only one in Bon Temps that knew her true secret and who she really was.

"Yeah. Just a little sad that it's all coming to an end. I guess I can't hide forever. I've been missing for so long Sam. What if the Sheriff doesn't help me out of spite? What if my papa gets mad that when I finally broke free of that hell I didn't run to him. I don't even know where he is. I do know that something's going to happen tomorrow. That vampire was trying too hard to get his blood into my system. "

She paused a moment as she looked at the shifter. He knew that she wasn't saying as much as she wanted too. Everyone deserved their secrets but he wouldn't let her get hurt. He'd also watched the interaction between the vampire and the drainers, along with the interaction between the vampire and Sookie. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"Sam. I'm going to go on home and see how Adele is doing. I know she worries about me even though she isn't my real gran. She's the only other person in this town that knows my secrets but I guess it's time to come out of hiding. I need you to call whomever it is that's in charge of Area 5. I need you to tell him specifically the things that I'm going to write down. He will know you are serious, he will know that this is not a joke and he will come at first dark tomorrow. You must also promise me, that you'll do whatever you can to keep that vampire, Bill, from getting his blood into me. I can't explain it to you right now why, Just know that it would be bad."

With that being said, Sookie moved to Sam's desk and started writing out what he would need to tell the man. Things had to be phrased just so or no one would buy it, especially coming from another supe and a male one at that. So she was careful about how she phrased it while inserting the code words that her father had come up with all those centuries ago should something happen to her and she needed someone else to relay information.

_Sheriff. It matters not who I am. What matters is that you have an unregistered vampire in your area, intent on committing a blood offence in the highest way. The blood is sacred is it not? To only be shared with those for whom one wishes to bind or turn. It's not something to be given freely at a whim, even for blood slaves. I know you are probably wondering what this has to do with this phone call. I assure you, I have a point and then you won't hear more from me unless you need too. The daughter of the Gaul as been found. It's her that the blood offences have been forced upon and will be if you do not show up. Tomorrow at first dark. _

Sookie had no other choice. By identifying herself as the daughter of the Gaul she'd just opened up a can of worms that no one would be able to recover from. Any sheriff worth their weight knew who the Gaul was and knew whom to contact. They would also come prepared and they would pick on the notes that it was already mentioned that blood offences had occurred already. She fully expected back up tomorrow when she had to face the Rat's again and that stupid vampire. Only she hoped that they could prevent whatever was coming.

After securing Sam's agreement to make the call and state the words she'd written, Sooke clocked out, took her stuff and headed for the Stackhouse Farmhouse. She loved that little place and the elderly woman who took care of it. Adele Stackhouse had treated her like her own granddaughter even after learning the truth about what Sookie really was. She was the only person in the entire town that the blonde truly trusted, not even her friends knew everything. Not even Jason.

Making it home safely, wishing for a moment that she had a better car, the blonde turned off the engine and made her way inside. She was only minutely happy to see Adele sitting up. She wished the old woman wouldn't worry about her. Kissing the woman on the cheek they had a small chat where Sookie let her know that Merlotte's got it's first vampire. She also made sure the woman knew that this meant that everything was changing and she'd probably be smack dab in the middle of all the vampire bullshit that was soon to pile up. Bidding the woman goodnight, Sookie climbed the stairs, stepped into the shower and then headed off to bed. She was exhausted from everything she'd done that day.


	3. The Threat Is Real

**Thank you so much for the reviews. When I started this I was so afraid that it wasn't going to make any sense. As you can probably tell things are a bit AU from both the books and the TV show. Some of the quotes are from the books and some are going to be from the show. If anything doesn't make sense please let me know. I try to always explain things better in later chapters. Again I have no beta so any mistakes are mine. Reviews make me want to shell out three chapters in three days so keep them coming please. **

Dreaming that night hadn't been an issue for Sookie. She'd fallen into a sleep that was fitful, as her mind tried to play out various scenarios of what might happen the next night. She wasn't a stupid woman by any means but she had played dumb for the most part. It helped with her hiding. Now that she'd been seen fighting off drainers whatever life she had hoped to have was over. It wasn't that she expected that Bon Temps would forever stay vampire free. How could it? Eventually they would travel to even the most backwater of towns for have and refuge.

No she just hadn't expected it to be someone from the Queen's retinue but it didn't surprise her. She'd managed to escape Sophie Anne once but in truth Sookie had no idea if she'd make it again. As it was she was fighting too hard to keep up the pretense that she was human and not tell everyone her history. There was a reason the vampire world, or rather the elder vampires, treated her the way they did. It was only in part because of whom her father was.

After the big ordeal with the drainers, Sookie was glad that she didn't have to work the lunch rush at Merlotte's the next day. She only hoped that Sam had done as she had asked. The only way for her to know, however, was to honestly wait until the nightfall tonight and see what happened. Despite the fact that she was quite sure that the local vampire sheriff would show up Sookie was still nervous as hell. She didn't know what was coming, had an idea but didn't know for certain.

One of the ways she tried to forget it was to soak out in the sun and let the light tan her skin. One look at her and of course she looked human even when she was so much more. Laying out in the lawn chair, letting the sun tan her skin. She loved the feeling of the sunlight and it was one of the few things that her own father liked about her. For some reason, Sookie could go out in the daylight.

What she hadn't expected was to fall asleep out here in the sunlight only to be woken up by Jason's loud truck. Making her blue eyes stare at the vehicle, Sookie sighed. She knew what this was about. He probably heard about her attacking the Rat's and was coming to see what was up. She wished he would come visit his own grandmother for reasons that didn't involve her. Maybe she was the weird one but Jason had never appealed to her. He seemed to be the kind of guy that could get any girl to fall in his bed. Well any girl but Sookie. So it's better they pretend to be related.

"What do you want Jase. I know you ain't here just to visit your gran."

"You wanna tell me why I gotta hear from Rene about you trying to take on the Rat's?"

"No."

Sookie looked at the young man that he was pretending was her brother. He was so young compared to her and he always had a bit of a temper. She didn't think that Jason would actually act out about it but it didn't make it easy for her. She didn't want them hating her. That much she was quite sure of. Adele was the kind of woman that wouldn't tolerate any prejudices and for that she was so grateful.

"You forget, Stackhouse, that you aren't my brother or my blood. I owe you no explanations other than that things are changing. The vampires have decided to reveal themselves and because of that I'm in more danger than ever before. So you let me do my thing and just stay out of my way? You understand me?"

In truth Sookie hated that she was thought of as a bitch in moments like this. She really didn't want to risk anyone thinking she was something she wasn't supposed to be. Jason needed to learn that he couldn't control her life either. That was a hard lesson for most anyone to learn. Of course when it mattered she would be the sweet southern belle she was trying to be. For now, she needed to be in bitch mode.

"Jason come on inside I'll make you some breakfast."

With a gracious smile at Adele, Sookie resumed her suntanning for now. Adele would take care of Jason the way only his family could. The thought of family made Sookie's chest constrict in pain. She missed her father fiercely but she couldn't feel him in her bond. She had no idea if he was alive or not, it was static when she tried. Part of that was her fault, yes, she'd blocked him out so he couldn't feel the pain but she didn't know how to reopen the bond.

What she hadn't planned on doing was falling asleep while out in the sun but she did. The sound of someone screaming woke the blonde up and she darted into the house ready to attack whomever it was. That was the downside to what she was. She often acted like a vampire, and it freaked people out. Dark eyes looked around and saw that there was no threat. The scream had been one of surprise as Adele had the phone to her ear and Jason looked like he was ready to pass out.

"What's wrong?"

"Maudette. She's dead."

For a moment Sookie tried to remember who Maudette was but then the image came to her head. She was another one of the girls that had fallen so easily in Jason's bed. Sookie had no doubt they would probably end up blaming him for it. The detective that ran these parts with the human sheriff had some sort of hatred for the young Stackhouse. In truth Sookie only saw jealousy about it. It was a stupid emotion but one that was so very human.

"How? What's Maxine saying?"

"It looks like she was strangled. They found her this morning. She apparently also had some vampire bites on her inner thigh. She was a fangbanger. What's a fangbanger?"

Sookie tried really hard not to laugh at the question. Out here in the backwoods place like Bon Temps she didn't expect anyone to know the meaning of that word. There was a certain way she needed to spin this though, so that it didn't look like she knew too much. Jason still had no idea about the true origins of Sookie in his life other than that he thought of her as his baby sister even if she wasn't really blood related.

"It means that they get paid to be bitten and do...other things with vampires. Someone once mentioned they could get a thousand dollars a night. Jason do you know anything about this? You know that Andy is just looking for a reason to try to come after you. Be careful alright and call Sam if anything happens. He'll know who to contact."

With that being said Sookie moved upstairs and took a quick shower before changing. She needed to do some research and knew that someone else was going to die before she got a chance to stop it. Glancing at the clock she knew that she had two hours before she had to go to work. That was just enough time to make it to the police station and try to get more information. It helped, of course, that she could glamour people into giving her information, if she chose.

When she was clean and changed, Sookie ran out of the house and into her car. The drive wasn't all that long and she met with Kenya t the desk. Asking her questions she knew that the other woman wanted to help but there was just so much that couldn't be said. What Sookie did manage to catch was that they didn't suspect a vampire. Even with the sudden arrival of Vampire Bill, the body was still full of blood. If it had been a vampire kill there wouldn't have been blood. Filing that away, Sookie checked her watch before darting out the door.

She'd already spent an hour there and needed to get to Merlotte's to help them get ready for the evening shift. They were always busy in the evenings but she didn't mind. It was something to do to get her mind off of everything else going on. However, she was scared that Sam wouldn't have followed through with her request. Whoever it was that was in charge in this area needed to prevent her from becoming someone's pet. Not that it could happen. Vampire blood was like poison in her system but the young ones, the stupid ones, didn't seem to understand that. Maybe it was time for her to once again come out of the woodwork. Only, she had no doubt that the AVL would try to make her their poster child.

Rushing into Merlotte's, Sookie looked around to see what was left to do. Most everything was already set up and waiting to go. She just needed to clock in when ready, grab her apron and order pad and go. Looking around though she was trying to find Sam. Spotting him through the open office door the blonde knocked and waited for him to acknowledge her. True she had to enter his office anyway to clock in but this was different.

"C'mon in, cher."

"Did you relay the message Sam? Please tell me you did. I know you think you can protect me but you can't, not from this."

"I sent the message but I don't know if he's going to come. Do you know who the sheriff is for these parts?"

"No."

"Eric Northman."

By the gasp that left Sookie's mouth it was clear she knew who Eric was. The _Viking_ was the sheriff? Maybe things were looking up for her. Sookie knew a lot more than anyone thought and if Eric was the sheriff he would know where her father was, and he would take the alert seriously. He was one of the best sheriff's in the States and one of the oldest two. Hell he was one of three vampires that were considered the oldest on this side of the world.

Sookie wasn't sure if she was supposed to say anything to him after that. It was her fault that she hadn't tried to find out sooner but she'd spent the last several years hiding away from the supernatural world. She didn't feel bad that she didn't know who he was. Alright so she did, a little. He was the only one that would actually be able to help her.

Smiling at Sam, Sookie clocked in and started to do the final prep. It was early enough in the evening that nothing bad would happen, for now. First dark, however, would be interesting. Sookie didn't expect anything to happen until she was ready to clock out for the night. When it was closer to 1 am or so then she'd know that something was going to happen but for now, she had time.

It didn't take long for the bar to fill up with it's usual nightly patrons and for the sun to set upon the horizon. Hearing the chime over the door that indicated another person had walked in, Sookie spun around hoping it was Eric. It was not. Watching as Bill took a seat in her area, seeing that she was far busier than the other waitresses, Sookie sighed. He was asking for a tongue lashing but now wasn't the time.

Approaching him slowly, the telepath wished that she could hear what he was planning. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so ill at ease. Still she couldn't give anything away right now. That would defeat all the hard work and the message that she'd given Sam to relay to Eric. No she wasn't ready to meet the viking yet. But the time would come when she needed too lean on him a little. She was just trying to plan it right.

"What can I get you this evening Bill? We still don't have any of that True Blood at the moment."

"Oh that's fine Sookeh. I was just coming by to see how things were."

"Well I need to talk to you about something but now's not the time. Can you meet me later? When I get off work?"

"Sure what time is that?"

"Around one thirty?"

"Sure I'll see you then."

With a semi-frown, Sookie turned back to go pick up an order that Lafayette was calling her for. Approaching the kitchen she smiled at her flamboyant friend. Laf was one of the few people who actually understood her and she had told him about her telepathy. He was going to be the one she used if she needed a bodyguard. Not Sam or Bill. Laf would do whatever he could to help her out and she hadn't even had to glamor him into acting like they'd known each other their entire lives.

"You be careful, hookah, that vampire smells like nasty business."

"I'll be alright Lala, I got something in the works to prevent things from happening."

With a smile she grabbed the food and went back about her job. She'd noticed, of course, that Bill had left the bar. Figuring that he couldn't just sit there without ordering anything she didn't mind it so much. Of course, the fear that she felt for tonight had only died down some as she let the busyness of the bar get into her head. It was stupid to let her guard down, but with the news of Maudette's murder and everyone's accusations against Jason it made it hard for her shields to stay up.

By the time her shift was over Sookie's own mental shields were in shambles. She'd not seen one ounce of inkling that Eric was even around. It was possible that he was staying far enough away to observe without being intrusive. He'd know about her telepathic powers. He was old enough and given who his maker was, it wasn't a stretch to know. She didn't even sense the void of Bill. Glancing at her watch and realizing that she'd been out here waiting for Bill and he was more than a half hour late Sookie sighed.

She couldn't wait longer. Moving towards her car she should have been able to hear the voices in her head but she didn't. Her mind was elsewhere at the moment and she was going to suffer for it. The first attack came out of nowhere. Sookie tried to fight back but she was in no shape too. She hadn't been at her full strength in years because it took a combination of two things. One of which she couldn't have, simply because she hadn't found her mate yet. She was going to try though.

It was the final kick from Mack that had her knowing exactly what Bill's plans were. One of the nifty little tricks she had to her telepathy was that if she focused just right on a mind that had been glamored, she could see the glamor in place and depending upon the strength of it, trace it back to it's source. Younger vampires tended to have weaker glamors. Not that it mattered at the moment. She couldn't feel her legs and was quite sure her spine was broken. She'd die, but only for a day before she'd rise again fully healed. Assuming she actually wasn't beheaded or had her heart ripped out while she was 'out'.

Hearing the roaring scream of a vampire, Sookie watched the scene through a haze of pain. She saw Bill 'swoop' in and attempt to save her like some white knight. She knew better. She could sense a second vampire void not too far off. This one was larger, stronger and radiated power. It was watching, waiting to see what would unfold but not willing to make itself known just yet. Sookie's own inner vampire could sense someone that signalled safety and it wasn't Bill Compton.

She watched as Bill knelt down beside her and tried to force her to drink his blood. She looked a moment in his face and noticed the sneer that was on it. Oh she had more than enough ideas about what he was really on about. Only.. was he stupid enough to think that she was human? That she could actually take his blood and become bonded to him? Apparently so because he tried to force his blood down her but it was coming up just as fast. This just seemed to piss him off more and she watched as he started to put pressure on her throat and choke her. If she was going to die on him he was going to make sure it hurt.

Just as the world around her was starting to get black and hazy, Sookie heard a voice that she hadn't expected to hear. A voice that touched her on a level that she would never understand. Even now as her mind drifted back to a conversation she had with her father she was in shock. He'd always told her that she'd know when she found her mate, the vampire whose blood, outside of his own, that she could take. He would be like a beacon in a storm, a safe haven and she wouldn't be able to resist him.

"I suggest you let her go Compton. You have no idea what you're doing."

"Northman, what the hell are you doing here? I'm trying to save the chit but she's resisting it. I have no idea why."

"Of course you don't you incompetent fool. Now let her go and do not leave the scene. You've already broken several of our laws tonight and we need to address them. You will wait for Pam and you will be my guest for the foreseeable future.."

Bill let go of Sookie at that point and moved away. There was no way he could win a fight against Eric, not tonight. The smart side of him stayed and waited for Pam to come silver him and take him to the basement of Fangtasia. Eric approached the battered and broken body of Sookie with a frown. He was more angry that he hadn't actually acted sooner. He'd gotten her message loud and clear and for a moment be scared. So scared in fact that he'd actually opened up his bond and sent a plea out to his maker. The response he got back was one of cautious curiosity.

He had decided to investigate before acting. So he'd watched the blonde work inside the bar and knew upon sight who she was. He'd never forget her and she hoped that she hadn't forgotten him. Of course, she'd been missing for so very long that he doubted that would recognize him for who he truly was. Leaning down in the dirt, the vampire gingerly scooped the woman into his arms, careful not to jostle her too much. She was weak and he could hear her heart beat fading. He knew that the blood was scared but this woman, she deserved a healing for everything she'd done for not only his maker, but for the vampire world as a whole, before she'd gone missing.

Biting into his wrist he held it gingerly to her face and watched as she latched onto it. At first the pulls were weak, her own body betraying her with it's lack of strength. After the third pull he could feel her getting stronger, could feel his blood moving around in her. Blue eyes snapped up to meet Compton's as the vampire made a shocked sound. Eric knew exactly why his blood worked and the fool's did not but now was not the time for a history lesson.

"That's right love. Drink until it heals. Then sleep. I'll be here when you awaken."

His tone was gentle, one that very few people ever got to see. He felt a sense of curiosity through his bond from his progeny and he sent her back the notion that he'd explain later, when the woman was safer. When his wound healed and the blonde stopped pulling at he wound Eric looked down and watched as her eyes flit closed and she seemed to fall into a slumber. He could smell the sweetness of her blood in the air and had he not been already cautioned against hurting her, he'd have had trouble controlling himself. Instead he licked away the blood on the bigger wounds, letting his saliva heal them. She'd need a better cleaning but he couldn't do that now.

"Pam please show Compton the consequences for not checking in with his local sheriff before coming to an area. Make sure he knows that he won't be leaving our company for a while. I will meet you back at Fangtasia. I must bring her with me so that she is safe." He said as he motioned to the still blonde in his arms.

He knew his progeny would do as he asked and Eric stood up and scooped Sookie into his arms. He'd get her back there faster than the others would in the car. Taking flight in the air he thought about the nights' events as they rushed into his mind:

_It was just another typical night. Ever since the Great Reveal he'd been gagging on the amount of vermin that seemed to want to loiter around his place. True they were good for business and so was his sitting there on the throne upon the dais and 'entertaining' them. He was a vampire for fucks sake. They should be entertaining him. As it was they'd just closed up and it was getting close to time for him to head back to his own house when his cell rang. _

"_Northman."_

"_Sheriff"_

"_Who is this?"_

"_It matters not who I am. What matters is that you have an unregistered vampire in your area, intent on committing a blood offence in the highest way."_

"_That should matter to me why?"_

_He'd been listening and he was just joking about the last part. Any unregistered vampire in his area was serious business alone. Let alone the knowledge that one was intent on committing a blood offence. The council held the blood sacred, as did most of the older vampires. It was rarely used anymore to even make blood slaves, what with so many willing donors now. So he was listening but he didn't want to give the shifter on the other end of the phone the thought that he might actually care. _

"_The blood is sacred is it not? To only be shared with those for whom one wishes to bind or turn. It's not something to be given freely at a whim, even for blood slaves."_

_Hearing his own thoughts vocalized, Eric realized that the person on the other end of the line was reading a script. Someone was feeding him this information and he needed to know why, and who. There were questions that were arising but so far he didn't have enough information to actually start the questions and this conversation needed to end soon, dawn was approaching. _

"_It is. What does this have to do with why you called me Merlotte?"_

"_I assure you, I have a point and then you won't hear more from me unless you need too. The daughter of the Gaul has been found. It's her that the blood offenses have been forced upon and will be if you do not show up. Tomorrow at first dark." _

_He heard the line click off as the shifter hung up on him and Eric was frozen in shock. Only one person was ever referred to as the daughter of the Gaul. His own makers flesh and blood. She'd been missing for the last five hundred years. Eric knew exactly where she was if Merlotte was calling and honestly he needed to know what blood offenses had already been perpetrated. There was an edict set forth by the vampire authority, the council and the pantheon that any harm that befalls the woman was to be met with by True Death. Anyone that finds her being hurt is within their rights to end whatever it is doing the hurt. _

_He'd sent a text to Pam telling her that their plans had changed for the next night and he'd flown off to his house. With the approach of dawn he let the sun pull him into sleep and waited. When the next night had arisen he'd simply showered, dressed and met Pam at Fangtasia. He wasn't going to at first dark, whatever threat wouldn't strike so early. No they'd wait a while. So he'd filled his progeny in on the phone call. Pamela was one of the few younger vampires that knew about Sookie. Though they'd never met she was angered that someone had hurt the woman. _

_It was why he'd gone ahead to Bon Temps and told Pam when to meet him with the van and chains. He'd loitered far enough away from Merlotte's that the telepath as he knew her to be wouldn't sense him but close enough that he could watch the scene. He'd seen the vampire in question enter and leave and decided to follow Compton. He hated Compton and if the man was in his area then bad things were about to happen. _

_He'd watched the vampire glamour these humans but he hadn't thought much about it. He wasn't quite sure they were who he thought they were so he waited. Eric would not act before he had all the facts. When Sooke had come out of the bar he could tell that she wasn't herself. She seemed off as if she'd had too much stress for one little body to handle. That was when everything fell apart. He watched the humans attack her, watched as Bill watched from the sidelines and didn't do anything to help her. Now wasn't the time to attack, he needed to see Bill's intentions first before he could act. _

_When the younger vampire had tried to shove his blood down Sookie's throat and she rejected it there was a small amount of relief in his body. Bill Compton would not be her mate. He was. He'd always been but the timing to act upon it had never been right. So he'd stepped in, and the rest is history as they say. _

Shaking himself out of the memory, Eric carefully entered the back door of Fangtasia and took Sookie to the rooms they slept in sometimes when they couldn't get out of the bar past dawn. His coffin was lined with silk and would be soft for her. Setting her inside of it, he kissed her forehead once, before he left to go find Pam. They didn't have much time tonight to actually find information out from Bill. Dawn was fast approaching but they could rest here and deal with things in the evening.

Sending a message to his dayman to bring food buy and then to go check out the scene at Merlotte's to see if he could find any information, Eric ended the message. He called Pam to him and smiled at her.

"She's resting. She'll be alright but we don't have time to do anything with Compton at the moment. Is he secure?"

"Yes Master. In the basement and waiting. Are we sleeping here for the night?"

"For tonight yes. Before you rest could lay out some clothing for Sookie? She'll want to change. Also maybe see if you can get Ginger to come in so the woman has some company during the day? I don't know when she'll actually rise."

With a nod and a smile, Pam went to do her tasks while Eric moved to his office. He placed a quick call back to the shifter, informing him of the situation and advising him that Sookie would be inaccessible for days. That he said it was unknown when or if she'd return. When Sam had asked him to confirm that she was the woman from the legend, Eric had paused a moment before answering in the affirmative. He'd listened to the shifter vow that he'd protect her as much as he could when he was available but that there was another human who would do so as well. Eric asked that the man email him the information on the other human before he said goodnight.

He'd replayed the message in his head again, hoping to learn something new. Someone had already committed crimes against this wonderful woman but she was too asleep to tell him. He was going to have to wait until she'd awoken, eaten and changed before they discussed it. A claim would need to be filed with the magister but for now he would wait. It did no good to do this without all the facts in place.

Verifying one final time that the club was closed up properly for the night, Eric lifted Sookie from the coffin, before settling in and letting her rest against him. He wished he had better sleeping accommodations for her but he hadn't expected them to meet like this. This wasn't his primary residence and the coffin was really only here so that if they were late closing the club they wouldn't risk being out in the sun when day hit. He'd look into doing a bit of remodelling if needed.

Letting the pull of the sun force him into sleep, Eric's last thought before he died for the day was the fact that Sookie was back in his arms, where she belonged.


	4. A Little Bit of the Past

AN: Thank you to atrymden for helping me with the proper translations of the Swedish.

* * *

><p>It wasn't hard to sleep the sleep of the dead for someone like Sookie. After what she'd been through at the hands of the Rattray's and the forced exposure to the other blood, she knew that she would probably sleep most of the day and a good portion of the night. Not that it mattered. She wasn't sure she was ever going to be safe again so whomever it was that ended up taking her, well they weren't the one she was afraid of.<p>

Darkness was the only companion that she'd had for quite a while and so being asleep or unconscious wasn't that hard of a challenge. She was used to being like that far more than she was awake. It was just the way her world turned right now. In her dream-like state, Sookie was replaying the moments over and over in her mind trying to see if she could have done something better.

In truth, she could have if she hadn't been as weak as she was. She knew the prophecy, the curse, or whatever it was they were calling it these days. Her father had told her, even after they found out about her unique state of being, that she was not going to be at her full potential until after she found her mate. That had been, of course, a good thousand years before her own father had made his first child.

Memories always came unbidden to Sookie when she least expected it. That was the downside to a life as long as her's. Memories were the only thing that would actually hurt her more. Sookie knew that whenever it was that she would awaken she'd have to tell them what happened. To the world around her, Sookie was nothing more than a stupid little blonde barmaid but she was more than that. She wasn't stupid in the least, and she knew who her mate was but she hadn't wanted to force him into any situation that he might not want.

It wasn't every day that the Ancient Pythoness actually made a prophecy simple enough for someone to understand. For years, Sookie had fought against being a part of something like that. She didn't want most of her life dictated for her but the moment she'd been turned into whatever it was that she now was, the choice had been taken away. She knew that, yet she fought against it for countless centuries. She was still a child in terms to most people, except maybe her father, and the vampire that she was destined to spend her life with.

Sookie had no idea how long she'd been out, but when she opened her eyes she saw nothing but darkness, at first, then her eyes lit onto the body next to her. She could feel the arms securing her next to him in his day rest and she was grateful for a moment. It meant that she was alive and that she was healed. Only two people could have done this and Sookie had no doubt that it was the vampire that was destined to be her other half, even if they shared a father. It wasn't like a weird form of incest. The vampire word was different than what the human world thought.

Shifting a moment, Sookie sighed as she realized that she was trapped here. The grip around her was firm and secure. She had no doubt that Eric refused to let her go until he had to rise for the night. She just wished she could go back to sleep, but she couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the attack by the Rat's and she hated it. If she hadn't been so damned determined to be independent she might have had enough strength to survive on her own.

Even with those thoughts she still had the memories from the Ancient Pythoness swirling around in her head telling her that she had to go through this to prove a point. It was the fact that she knew that the old woman was probably smiling over the turn of events that made Sookie want to pout. She hated being anyone's puppet even now. Her responsibilities to the supernatural community were far-reaching and all-encompassing, yet she couldn't stand it. She didn't want people to look up to her, to bow to her. She wanted to just be herself.

Moving the arm from her, Sookie pushed open the lid to the coffin and climbed out. Closing it behind her so that she didn't disturb the vampire, the blonde looked around. It was clear that she was in some kind of warehouse or club. Probably that vampire bar in Shreveport. She'd heard of it and well, she had wanted to visit it but she hadn't gotten up the courage before now.

Moving her way through the darkness and up the stairs, she tried to figure out more about where she was. Looking down at herself, Sookie frowned. She was still covered in blood and gore with her clothing torn to shreds. How anyone could bother to see her like this she had no idea. When she entered what appeared to be the main area of the bar, Sookie noticed the lights were on and the place didn't look so bad in the light.

"Hey there sugar! The master said you might wake up during the day. There's some clothing for you here on the bar and I can show you to the employee washroom. There's not a shower in there but you can try to get cleaner until you can get to a shower later if you need it. There's also some food here when you get hungry. You hurry on up and change now ok?"

For a moment Sookie blinked before she could process what was being said to her. She had no idea who this woman was but she was grateful for a moment about the woman's kind words. Granted, any human that worked for vampires were likely to be glamoured but she didn't mind. She was struggling enough as it was not to listen to the woman's mind. Her weak state making it almost impossible.

That poor young woman. She must have gone through something rough by her looks. Master said that she had to be taken care of until he rose for the night. I will do anything to make Master happy.

Shaking her head the blonde just moved to the bar and took the clothing. She tried not to even think about what they were, that would just annoy or confuse her. "Where's the bathroom?" She asked softly. Her voice barely working from it's rough treatment earlier. Eric's blood might have healed most of her wounds but it hadn't made her completely well. She was going to weak for a while, but with human food and the blood of her mate she would finally reach her full potential. It was destined that way.

Watching the older woman lead her out of the main area of the bar, Sookie was quiet. She wasn't even sure the right manners for what she was doing. Did she introduce herself? Or did she let this Master person? Sookie had no doubt it was Eric the woman was speaking of. It wasn't hard to picture who Master was after all. When she was shown to employee bathroom, Sookie set the clothing down on the counter and looked around.

"Do you need anything else miss?"

"It's Sookie and no thank you. I appreciate your help. I'll just get as clean as I can and then join you back in the bar for something to eat. I hope I'm not taking you away from other duties."

"You aren't Sookie. My name's Ginger and the Master said that I should look after you until he wakes for the night. Miss Pam left some things for you should you need them but go ahead and get clean and we can talk later."

With that the blonde woman left and Sookie was standing alone in the employee washroom. She wished there was a shower but when you were in a place owned by vampires privacy wasn't really an option. Still, she removed her shredded clothing as best as she could wishing she could have saved it. It wasn't like she didn't have another uniform to wear to Merlotte's she just hated that she would be less one set.

Using the washrag and the water Sookie tried to clean off as much of the dried blood as she could from her skin. Her hair would have to wait until she could into a real shower but she had no idea how long that would be. Doing her best to clean up as much as possible the young woman made a face at the blood and dirt that was circling down the drain in the sink.

She spent a good twenty minutes trying to clean herself up and finally she gave up. She would need a shower to fix the rest. Drying herself off with the towel that was provided, Sookie looked over the clothing. Under such a short time she hadn't expected them to get her anything halfway decent to wear, yet she was surprised. There was more than just pants and a top, somehow they'd managed to get her clean underwear too and in her size if Sookie's eyes weren't deceiving her.

Slipping into the underthings, Sookie managed to stifle a gasp at how well they fit. It was nice to be in clean clothes at least. The shorts she put on next were a bit large but once she'd secured the drawstring that wasn't a problem. The t shirt that she put on was bright red and had the words 'Fangtasia Staff' scattered across it in bold black letters. The ends of some of the words looked almost like blood dripping onto the ground.

Running a hand through her hair, wishing she could get some of the blood clumps out but knowing that she couldn't, Sookie finally decided that she was done in the bathroom. Exiting the room, Sookie made her way back towards the front of the bar. She saw Ginger again, behind the bar and smiled at the older woman. As soon as Ginger saw her, the woman set out food for Sookie.

"Thanks," she said softly as she started to eat at the food. For so long Sookie had only eaten barely enough to survive, her money that she made from Merlotte's not enough to actually cover the food that she needed living with Adele. There was also the fact that she'd been nearly starved in her captivity the first time so her appetite had always been less than what it should be. Only she couldn't or rather she wouldn't tell Eric that.

Looking around, the young woman was trying to find a clock or some way to tell what time it is. She didn't know how much she was going to be trapped here and she was afraid to find out really. The sooner the vampires awoke the sooner she'd be forced into explaining exactly what happened. Now that she had food in her system and some water to drink, Sookie was a bit more confident in what she was doing.

"Ginger, you mentioned earlier that Pam had left me something?"

"Oh yes, here it is!"

"What time is it Ginger?"

"About five in the evening. It should be getting dark soon and they will join you up here and I'll head home."

Staring at the note that was handed her, Sookie wondered what she was going to do with it. Should she read it first and then figure out what she should do next. Slowly the woman moved from the bar to a booth and took her food, the letter and her glass of juice with her. In truth, Sookie was far more nervous than she should be.

Once settled into the booth the young woman opened the letter and let her eyes gaze at the words. It took a moment for everything to sink into her brain, things were still a bit strange to her. She hadn't wanted anyone to find her so soon but then, her plans never went the way she wanted them too.

_Sookie, _

We don't know when you will awaken but Master was very worried about you. The fact that you survived that beating at all was a miracle. I've taken the liberty of bringing you some clothing to wear until we rise. Also, don't mind Ginger any. She's been glamored into doing whatever you ask of her. She will watch over you until Eric and I awaken. There is much to discuss and I hope that Eric's day-man brought things you could eat. Once we awaken I have no doubt that we will not be staying at Fangtasia. The bar doesn't need both of us to open it and I'm quite sure that Eric will want to get you somewhere else safe. Don't worry, Bill and the remaining drainers are trapped in the basement and they cannot get to you so please don't worry about that much alright? We will see you when you rise.

Yours,

_Pam._

For a moment she wondered what she had done to make friends with a vampire like Pam. Sookie knew more about key vampires than others did and she'd heard of Pamela Swynford de Beaufort and her make Eric Northman. Everyone knew about the Norseman and his lineage. After all, his maker Godric was one of the more feared vampires in the Northern Continents.

Finishing up the food that she had gotten, Sookie was just going to wait. There wasn't anything she could do to force the time to go any faster. She had no doubt that when the vampires rose the night would move much faster than the day. As she sat in the bench, Sookie thought about what she would be doing if she had been back in Bon Temps. She wasn't supposed to work until later so if she hadn't slept in she would have been in the yard lounging in her metal lounger and soaking up as much sunlight as possible.

Once full, Sookie could feel the pull of sleep tugging at her again. She didn't fancy going back into the coffin so instead she made her way to one of the leather cushions that was around the dance floor. Curling up on one of the leather benches, the young woman fell asleep again. She had no other way to pass the time, at least not that she thought about.

Having no idea how long she had slept, Sookie was awakened again when a strong but cold set of arms scooped her up from the bench and carried her into his office. Eric's voice calling out her name trying to make sure she was alright. Sleepy eyes opened up and smiled at the vampire.

"Rest more love, we'll leave here in a few. I just have a bit of work to do first."

Sookie did nothing more than nod her head as she was placed down on the couch inside Eric's office and drifted off to sleep again.

Vampires didn't dream during their day rest but if they had, Eric was quite sure that he'd be dreaming about the blonde he had in his arms after saving her. It was something he'd been dreaming of for a while but hadn't managed to do. There was no denying that he'd been trying to find her for the last ten centuries but every time that he or Godric would get close she would disappear again. It was five centuries ago that he and his maker had heard the prophecy from the Ancient Pythoness. It had only made them much more adamant about trying to find Sookie.

So when he'd heard from the shifter out in Bon Temps that the daughter of the Gaul had been found, Eric had rejoiced for a moment before the other words had sunk into his brain. He was going to have to save her and that was what he had done. Now she was in his arms, in the spare coffin he had in the back of Fangtasia because he hadn't had enough time to get her t one of his safe houses before dawn approached.

He had managed to resist the pull of the sun for about two hours, simply spending the time watching Sookie and hoping that he'd healed her enough that she wouldn't be in any pain. When the pull of his day death was too much he allowed himself to slip into the day rest. He couldn't control it but he could awaken earlier than Pam could and he'd be there to see Sookie earlier than planned.

Rising two hours before the sun set, it took Eric only moments to realize that Sookie was not in his arms anymore. He hadn't expected her to still be there, she'd have woken up and left but he had hoped that she'd have stayed. Sniffing the air, trying to scent her, and finding that her scent had left this area a few hours ago. It wasn't hard to track her down he could hear Ginger up in the bar but only Ginger.

Taking a moment to check his phone for messages and emails before going up and bothering the girls, Eric frowned. He'd received nine missed messages while he was busy with Sookie and one of them he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Whatever Sophie Anne wanted could wait, for now. She didn't know he was up before night in the first place, and letting her know now would be dangerous for him and Pam.

Making his way up to the main area of the bar Eric was trying to take in everything. The smell of Sookie was stronger this way and his blue eyes saw her sleeping on one of the leather benches. Looking over at Ginger he was trying to see what she was doing. It appeared that Ginger was both getting the bar ready to be opened for the night and watching over Sookie when she could.

"Ginger when you're done with that you can leave and head home. We'll not be needing you for the next couple of nights so enjoy them off with pay alright? You did well."

"Thank you Master. She fell asleep not to long ago, she looked exhausted."

Moving over to Sookie, Eric ran his fingers through her hair, frowning at the still bloody clumps. His club didn't exactly have a shower that he could use to clean her up with, he would have to deal with that later. Instead he scooped the woman up in his arms and started to carry her to his office. When she stirred he looked down at her and smiled as he spoke.

"Rest more love, we'll leave here in a few. I just have a bit of work to do first."

His voice was soft as he placed her down on the couch in his office and watched her fall asleep again. She needed rest and he needed to let certain people know that she'd been found. Things were going to get complicated but he couldn't leave until after Pam rose for the night. He would not leave her here with just a voicemail telling her what he needed of her. No he would wait and speak to her in person.

Keeping one eye on Sookie and one eye on his tasks the Viking went about his work. He didn't have much Sheriff work to do, the only two people that he needed to address could wait until he was ready to see them. Bill wasn't going anywhere and he knew that he was in serious trouble. Sending an email to his maker, Eric made it quick but informed Godric that Sookie had been found and that they'd be on the first flight out to Dallas once things calmed down. He didn't want to worry his maker but he knew that there would be a discussion on what to tell.

Glancing at the time, he could hear the movement around the bar and soon enough Pam was knocking on the door. He knew who was on the other end and he needed her to come inside and get this over with.

"Kom in." (Come in.) He said to his progeny. Pam was loyal and would do whatever he asked of her. Eric knew that their night was just starting and with Sookie being asleep he wasn't going to stay here much longer.

"Mästare, hur ser planerna ut för kvällen?" (Master, what are the plans for the evening?) Pam asked gently of her maker. She didn't want to upset him but she needed to know the plan. Glancing at the couch she wondered if the blonde had woken up for long. It was clear that Sookie had changed and washed but how long was she awake? Fear tickled her end of the bond with her maker as she wondered about this woman.

"Jag vill att du stannar här och vakar över baren och våra gäster. Jag kommer att vara i ett utav mina säkra hus med Sookie. Informera mig om eventuella ändringar." (I need you to stay here and watch the bar and our guests. I'll be going to one of my safe houses with Sookie. Keep me informed of any changes.) He said to her softly. They needed to get Sookie out of the bar and he was giving Pam free reign. His words to her were a signal that he trusted her and that he wasn't going to stop her.

With their conversation over, Eric scooped Sookie up before running through the back office and taking off into the night sky. It was a good thing that he had two safe houses inside Shreveport. The closest one was the one they were going too, and it was the only one that wouldn't bother Sookie's sensibilities.


	5. Answers Without Questions

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Understand this. I do not have a beta and you are being given what I write. If you don't like it, don't read it but do not turn your review into something else. If you want to offer me advice on the story then do so in a private message. **

**Again thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I don't own anything, if I did Sookie would have ended up with Eric in the end. **

Fear had been on of the few emotions that the elder vampires worked hard to eradicate from their lives. Fear, was the one emotion that was coursing through Godric at this very moment. He'd known that his own flesh and blood had cut down their bond to nothing more than the most severe of emotions crawling through. Yet he couldn't be angry for her at that. He'd taught her to do just that if things ever got horrible. So he'd been surprised when the bond had flared to life completely, and he could feel her pain and sense the anger from his own progeny along with it.

That fear had been amplified when he'd gotten the email from Eric, explaining what had happened the last two days. How his daughter had been found, saved from a fate worse than death and yet he was so angry that he hadn't even know she was in trouble. She was his flesh and blood, and she was his childe, in more ways than one. Yet he hadn't known that she had needed him, and it hurt more than he was willing to admit. Godric knew that if he had known his own daughter was in trouble he would have killed everyone to find her.

With a sigh the man read over the email as he thought up a reply. He would either need to go to Louisiana to see them, but it would be better if he could get his childe to come to Dallas. He couldn't leave his post at the exact moment. The Fellowship of the Sun was becoming a bigger problem and he needed to stay here and find a way to stop them from killing everyone in sight. Still he had to have known that his own child was in danger. Signalling to Eric through their bond that he wanted them to show up in Dallas, Godric also followed it up with an email.

Closing his eyes a moment he thought back to the time when he first discovered the young woman. It hadn't been but twenty some odd years when he'd been taken by the Roman's as a slave. The Gaul had been in charge of his village and as such he was the keen prize. His family, the wife and two children he hadn't known if they'd survived or not. His maker had been a vile vampire even from the beginning and had felt nothing for trying to kill any remnants of humanity in his new progeny.

_They had been together for twenty years now and Godric hated it. He hadn't wanted someone so abusive and cruel to be his maker. Not that he had much of a choice. That was the thing, vampires didn't get to choose who created them, only who ended them. It was quite clear that he was more powerful at such a young age than he should have been and yet he wasn't able to fight against his maker. _

_Leaving Rome hadn't been easy, but they had managed it and wandered the countryside, never straying too close to the large city. For once, the man though to go back to his homeland, to see if anyone had survived the raid by the Roman Army. He had hoped that maybe his wife was still alive and that she could come with them. He'd convince his maker of it, if only to get the man to think of it as perhaps another meal. So they'd both decided to travel back to the place where Godric had come from, killing only when they had and could hide the bodies. It wouldn't do anyone any good to know that such vile people were alive. _

_His feet were getting tired, not from the walking, as a vampire he could continue to trudge for a while but because of the uneven ground they had been traversing upon. His shoes were not made for it, not the rich Roman leather that he'd been forced to wear. He wished for a moment that he could have his old clothes back. At least he'd feel more like himself. Shaking himself out of a mental stupor, the young vampire looked up at the hut that was in front of them. It wasn't the one his family had come from but something seemed familiar enough about it. _

_With his maker behind him, ready to step in if he messed up, Godric approached the door and knocked. He waited a moment as a young blonde opened the door. She looked no older than twenty five and he paused for a moment. Her eyes were just like his and her features bore a striking resemblance to the woman he'd been in love with, the woman who'd had fairy blood in her line. He could see that now, hear his maker hiss behind him. Godric had learned fas from the man fast what faeries were. _

_Looking at the woman, Godric knew instantly who she was. How could they not spot the similarities between himself and his now grown daughter. When he'd been taken she had been an infant. Now he was standing here knowing that by knocking on her door he was signing her death warrant, only he wanted to make it different. Looking into her eyes, he tried his hand at glamour and wondered if it would even work on her being part fae. _

"_Miss, we've travelled a long way and need a place to stay for the night. Do you have any accommodations?" he said softly without trying to force his will upon her. If she couldn't be glamoured and his maker found out he'd have to kill her much faster than he wanted. Godric didn't have a plan yet, but if given time he could come up with something. _

"_Sure, come on in. I have a spare room and some food and clothing if you need it. You look like you could use some rest. It'll be dawn in a few hours." she had said to them before moving out of the doorway. _

_Godric had wanted to know what her name was but asking right now was not a good thing. If her name was the unique name that he'd given his only daughter he would know just what kind of trouble they were in. "Thank you miss."_

_He entered the abode along with the vile man that was his maker as the blonde showed them to where they two men could sleep. It wasn't much but it looked warm, the furs were fresh and seemed to be little used. It was clear to Godric that the woman didn't get many visitors. He had watched as she had stoked the fire, making it larger to warm her two visitors. _

_At first he hadn't known how long he'd stared at the fire, wondering what was going to happen until the sound of screams had broken him out of his stupor. Jumping from his resting spot and running to the sound of the scream, Godric saw something he never thought he'd see. HIs maker was ripping into the neck of his only child and he had minutes to save her. Using all of the pent up anger at the horrid man that was his maker, Godric ripped his arm off of the blonde and fought the vampire before managing to give the man his True Death. _

_There at his feet was his darling little girl. He couldn't let her die like this, not when he could offer her a chance at something more. Would she take it though? That had been the question he'd thought about as he moved to bite his wrist before placing it in front of her mouth. He watched a moment as the woman started to drink the blood as he worked to turn her. Godric, in truth, wasn't even sure how this actually worked. When it looked like young Sookie was dead he picked her up and moved as far away from the house as he could before dawn. Burying them both in the ground for protection. _

_He didn't know that this would only semi seal her fate. Given his young age, Godric had no idea what was happening but he could feel a bond starting to form with the young woman. He hadn't prepared them for when they woke but he let himself slip into his day rest with his arms wrapped around his daughter. He couldn't control the need to die for the day even if he wanted too. He was still far too young. _

Shaking himself out of that memory, Godric frowned deeper. He hated the random thoughts of Sookie's pain like that. Still though, when he had woken and Sookie had clawed her way out of the dirt with a heartbeat, Godric had been concerned. He'd never heard of a turning like this but his concern wasn't misplaced. There had been another vampire there waiting for them, with a donor for each of them. The only problem was that Godric didn't know who she was or if she was a threat. It had turned out that the woman hadn't been.

It was the first time he could remember meeting the vampire dubbed the Ancient Pythoness. She was after all the last of the known Oracle of their time. He could still remember the conversation even now. The woman had explained somethings to both of them, as they had fed Sookie and waited for her to recover from her rebirth.

"_What have you done Gaul?" _

_Godric had looked up at the woman demanding answers from him and he was nervous. He had no idea who this woman was but he was sure that she wasn't a threat. He just didn't know what to say in this situation. He could tell that the woman was powerful and strong. His own maker had been afraid of her. _

"_I tried to save my daughter. She has no idea who she is, or what she is. I just know that my maker tried to kill her and I couldn't let that happen. She's my flesh and blood. My daughter." _

_He felt like he had to justify himself and the woman frowned. He didn't understand why he was in trouble, but he couldn't just stand there and say nothing. He was at a loss on exactly what was going on. _

"_Come with me Gaul. Bring your child. You both have much to learn and not a lot of time. She's not going to be like us, not completely. You couldn't have known when you turned her. Come we have much to do." _

_Godric had picked up his daughter and followed the woman to their destination. It was there that she had told him about what had become of his daughter, how she wasn't going to be a normal vampire. No this young woman was some kind of hybrid. She'd be able to go out in the sun, can eat human food but would need that and blood to survive. They hadn't known at first that she would reject any blood that wasn't his or her future mate's. They would find that out in a day or two when she tried to drink blood. _

_All of it was unreal. The fact that his own daughter, by blood and seed, was somehow more than a vampire. It was going to take them all adjustment, but Godric was willing to do that, if necessary. He would be the rock in their relationship and he had promised to himself that they would survive this. Of course the woman standing next to him would make sure of it as well. Sookie had a destiny that very few knew about and she wanted to keep it that way. _

Even now the conversation that he had had with the two women was burned into his mind. They had sat themselves down almost as children would for story time. The Ancient Pythoness had calmed some and explained the situation. Godric hadn't known that his wife had had fairy blood in her family until after he'd became a vampire. It was one of the few things that he was grateful to his maker for. Yet he wasn't sure what that meant. Technically Sookie should have crossed over into the realm of vampires and yet she hadn't, not fully.

What they learned was important for them. Sookie was important. She was going to do something good in the future but no one knew exactly when. The changes in her life were going to be anything but subtle. Her image was forever frozen at twenty five but she could live with that. She would be able to withdraw and retract her fanges just like most vampires would but she wouldn't need just blood to survive. She could eat human food, but blood would help her stay strong and healthy. Only there was a catch. The caveat to the whole thing was that only two vampires in the world could give the woman blood. She could also go out in the day unlike the other vampires. All of these things had been important to know.

The part that Godric frowned over was the fact that she had known that she would one day have a vampire mate. There would be someone that she would be destined for but she wouldn't have a choice. It was already decided. That had been part of the catalyst for her choosing to leave the family she had. When Godric had turned Eric, Sookie had left to venture off on her own but she knew it was because Godric and Eric needed their time. That had been just about a thousand years ago. He'd talked to her periodically for about five hundred years but then suddenly she vanished. Their bond was closed but not hollow like it would be if she was dead. That had been the only saving grace.

"Isobel? I must leave for an extended period of time. I do not know how long I will be gone but my children need me. You are in charge in my stead."

Godric watched as the Spanish vampiress noded and bowed. Isobel knew better than to question but he could see them burning in her eyes nonetheless. Godric moved to pack his things. In truth he didn't have much to pack. He'd had a bag ready to go should Eric need him in Louisiana. It was more just putting last minute supplies in them. He'd told his child that he'd be there soon. He had two choices for transportation. He could fly himself, or he could fly commercial via Anubis Airways.

Making the call, and deciding that he would have a guard with him, Godric called in a few favors to get to the airport on time. The flight to Shreveport wouldn't take that long but dawn was approaching again and he would need to rest. Making sure that he'd given Eric any final commands he had for making sure that Sookie was there when he got there, Godric was only partially content. Part of the situation, he knew, was his own fault. He'd told Eric about the prophecy and that the Viking would be mated to his daughter, yet he'd never told his own daughter that. He was more than away that Sookie probably had other things on her mind.

What he needed to know was where she'd been for the last five hundred years. That was a conversation that he would have with her in person. With his luggage secure, Godric settled back into the seat in the plane. It was only like a three hour flight so he'd still arrive before dawn. Letting his mind wander, the vampire tried not to wonder what would happen next


	6. Reluctant Reunions

As the plane that Godric was on landed at the Shreveport Airport the vampire thought about the last time he'd seen his own daughter. They'd had a fight and an ugly one at that. She understood that he still felt lonely even after one thousand years with her and yet she didn't understand why he didn't want to tell her that he wanted to turn someone else. It wasn't that she would have minded. Godric was her father and her maker, in a way, and anything that he he wanted to do she would have gladly supported him. With the exception of Eric. It was why the had a fight.

While she admired the Viking's skills in battle she hadn't thought that he would be an apt companion for her father. Then again she couldn't quite understand why he'd turned her either. Sookie hadn't been able to convince Godric not to turn the Viking, like he knew she wouldn't. Yet she had still stayed with them for 500 years after that.

Every day they had spent together the three of them had been growing far closer than Sookie had wanted. She had fought with Eric tooth and nail and yet she didn't expect him to remember any of it. Godric had waited until after Sookie had left them to explain to Eric just who the blonde really was. At least according to the Ancient Pythoness. It was Eric who had come to the conclusion that Sookie was his mate.

He still remembered that day that his son figured it out, and the look of pure joy on Eric's face. Regardless of what he taught his children, they wouldn't be able to truly hide their emotions from him. At least not without tamping down the bond. Eric didn't seem to want to do that but somehow Sookie had. Godric wanted to know how she'd managed it and what she had been hiding.

Now that he was here in Shreveport, with Eric watching over Sookie, Godric could finally get the answers he was seeking. He would go easy on his daughter, she was his true flesh and blood but he needed to know what happened. There were only two good reasons for shutting down a bond with a maker, and neither of them were options he wanted to think about. If she had been in pain he would have wanted to know, to have gone to her and saved her, to spare her from it.

Climbing off the plane, Godric made his way to the waiting car that would take him to Eric's house. Well one of them at least. Godric could feel the pull to his son grow stronger with each mile they traveled and he could feel the bond with his daughter slowly start to open up. He didn't want to be caught unawares but he needed to feel her, to know that she was truly alive. It wasn't like he doubted that Eric would tell him a lie. There was only one Sookie for sure and the Viking wasn't likely to forget the one blonde who challenged him at every turn.

When the car came to a stop, Godric climbed out, grabbing his bags and headed inside. He sent a message to Eric through their bond that he was here and needed to see Sookie. He knew that Eric wouldn't fail him and he couldn't fight back the smile at seeing the Viking standing there at the front door.

"Master"

The reverent tone in Eric's voice was one that Godric was forever happy to hear. He knew Eric enjoyed being his child, but he had other things on his mind. With a nod at his progeny, Godric entered the house and set his bags down. They had much to discuss and a short amount of time until dawn.

"Dawn is fast approaching Eric. I know where to stay. Can you fill me in on what happened?" He asked softly.

"I'm afraid even I don't know all the details. I can tell you what I know and what I witnessed but before that or beyond that I honestly don't know." The Viking said as he ran a hand through his hair. He was nervous, obviously, but not scared. Nervous that his maker would think he had failed his mate and Eric didn't want anyone thinking that.

Sitting himself down on one of the couches, the giant of a man relaxed as much as he could before delving into the story of the phone call from the shifter, the subsequent trip to Bon Temps, restraining of Bill Compton for trying to force his blood into Sookie, of taking Sookie back to his bar, feeding her his blood and having one of his human staff watch over her before she fell asleep again.

"What bothers me about all of this is that I got the vibe she had no idea who the Sheriff was in this area, which means she hasn't been able to keep up with the political changes. From what the shifter told me she knew about the Great Reveal but it wasn't until he told her who the area sheriff was that she was intent on letting someone else in on the plan. If she hadn't I fear I wouldn't have even known she was in danger. She doesn't look well. She's pale and weak and I can see the scars from torture that we should have been able to feel through the bond. Yet we didn't."

"Calm Eric. She weakened our bond so that we would not. You know who she is to you, she does not. Sookie never wanted me to tell her who her mate was, she would never have easily accepted that it was the Viking that kept tormenting her. Though with your blood in her now, I suspect that she knows. We must get somewhere secure, dawn is approaching. We can talk to her about all of this when we rise." Godric spoke as he stood from his seated position and motioned for Eric to follow him.

Taking a moment to peek into Eric's room Godric couldn't fight off the smile at seeing his daughter. It truly had been too long. With that out of the way, the elder vampire turned and went into the guest room he stayed at when he did come to visit. There would be much to discuss and he was willing to do whatever he must to get the answers out of Sookie.

Their resting spots were secure and he knew that Eric wouldn't leave Sookie alone and that was enough to allow Godric to slip into his day rest. One of the perks of being as old as they were was the simple fact they could stay up longer during the day and wake before the night rose. It didn't mean that they chose to let others know about it, however, just that they could. It was a secret benefit that most of the vampires in the New World forgot about.

When both vampires were down for the day, the safe house was probably more secure than it ever had been before. Sookie, who was quite used to vampire hours to begin with, was able t sleep the whole day away again and not have any ramifications from it. She knew, however, that she couldn't always sleep like this without their being something wrong. Right now she was being granted the gift of being able to rest off the pain that she'd been through.

When her soft blue eyes had opened again, Sookie almost panicked before her mind allowed her to pick up on what had happened. She was no longer at Fangtasia, that much was clear, but where she was exactly she hadn't quite discerned until she turned her right and saw a very clearly naked Eric laying next to her. He had promised her that he would take her someplace safe. With the way he looked relaxed in his day rest it was clear that this was the safe place he had mentioned.****  
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Letting her mind reach out, Sookie felt another void in the house. Larger than Eric's, which meant the vampire was older and she had a good idea to whom it belonged. It wasn't so much that she was afraid she had left for a reason and she didn't want him to be mad at her. Glancing at the clock. Sookie knew that both of her vampires would be up soon enough and then the real 'fun' for the evening would start.

It was this thought that made her sigh and pull herself out of Eric's embrace. A part of her wished that she had clothing to wear but a quick glance in the room she knew that he would not have had time to get anything bought or brought for her. They had been fighting against dawn both times they had spent with each other. Instead she simply stole one of his t-shirts out of his drawer and headed off into the shower.

Finally, she was able to clean her herself thoroughly. She knew that Eric must have cleaned up as much of the blood as he could but he hadn't been able to get it all and she wanted to be clean. Letting the warm water cascade around her, Sookie shut her mind off and simply enjoyed basking in the luxuriousness of a hot shower. There was no doubt that she had much to discuss with the two vampires and they had much to discuss with her.

Her last conversation with her father hadn't exactly been a kind one. She knew he loved her, as much as he loved Eric but she had been afraid of what he was telling her. Of the fact that while she may for all intents and purposes be human she would never be able to love like a human. Her mate had already been destined for her, chosen by the Fates themselves and blessed by the many gods. She had, of course, rallied against the thought of any more of her life being out of her control, called her father a liar and stormed out.

She'd felt his sorrow for upsetting her through the bond, and him trying to call her back to his side but she'd resisted. As far as she knew, she was the only human with a maker/childe bond that could resist the bond if truly desired. She hadn't wanted too but she needed the time away from her father to think. Since he had turned her it had been all about some stupid prophecy that the Ancient Pythoness had given them. Telling Godric that he was to the father, the head of the bloodline of the two most powerful and influential beings in the supernatural world.

So Sookie had done the only thing she could do, she muted her bond with Godric and had fled. She knew he had people looking for her, and she'd either catch them, and glamor them into just missing her or she'd kill them, if they became too aggressive. She didn't want to be caught. Would go home when she felt the time was right. At least that had been the plan but that wasn't what happened and she knew both the Gaul and VIking, warrior kings that they were, would demand the truth and she couldn't lie to them.

The shower was short enough and the woman was clean well enough to her liking that she was still locked away in her head and not focusing on the area around her. After slipping on Eric's shirt and making sure she had at least her clean pair of Merlotte's shorts underneath it, Sookie sighed and left the room. The two voids that were vampire were centered around one room and that was her destination.

It was now or never to get her story out and Sookie knew that this would change everything. What she would tell them would force both of them into actions she knew neither desired for. It was partly her fault but from the last visit she had experienced from the Ancient Pythoness, it would have happened regardless, only she was the catalyst that would make it easier for everyone to swallow.

Finding her way into the sitting room, Sookie paused a moment in the doorway and look at the two vampires that were about to change everything in her life. Her fathers eyes snapped to hers and she could feel his gentle push into their bond, begging her to open it once again. Slowly she did, so that she wasn't overwhelmed with the emotions. She could feel his love and understand but the underlying rage that someone had hurt his baby girl. HIs green eyes showed a world of emotions that she had thought were long buried.

The ice blue eyes of the Nordic god that was before her stared at her, as if she was his last beacon of home. She emotions she felt coming from Eric were new to her. She'd always felt him in her bond with her father, he being Eric's maker but this was something different. She couldn't quite put a name to the emotions that were swirling around inside of her. She didn't have anything against them but she honestly didn't want to believe that she had to be mated to the Viking, even with the evidence standing before her.

Before either of the two vampires could speak, Sookie had vamped in front of both of them and dropped to her knees. Both Eric and Godric would know the significance of this. Godric had taught them both to only kneel to those they chose so. She was choosing to kneel to them both.

"Παπά, σας έχω χάσει. Μπορείτε να μου forgie, περιπλανώμενος κόρη σας; Έχω μάθει πολλά στη ζωή μου φύγει, αλλά εγώ δεν θα έπρεπε να σας εγκαταλείψει. Συγχωρείστε μου." (Papa, I have missed you. Can you forgie me, your errant daughter? I have learned much in my time gone but I should not have forsaken you. Please forgive me.)

Her voice was soft and pleading as she spoke to her father in Greek. She's not stupid enough to know that Eric doesn't understand the language. He does. She just knows he prefers to speak in his native Swedish than in Greek.

Godric says nothing to his daughter as he picks her up off the floor and tucks her into his side. His kiss to her forehead is enough for her to know that he has forgiven her. Along with the kiss she can feel him sending his love and trust and understanding through their bond. He is her father and she will always be his daughter, until the True Death comes for them both. Right now he has much to worry about why she was found in such a state.

For a few moments Sookie is lost in the feel of being in her father's arms when smells start to invade her senses. Looking up she see's Eric standing there with a smile on his face holding a tray of food.

"Come eat, mate. Then we must discuss what is going on."

She nods softly as she starts to eat. The story she has to tell them is partly her fault she understands that and is going to take the punishment from it. Her punishment already being doled out by her being forced to be with the Viking. In truth, Sookie just didn't want to be forced into a relationship. She had wanted to find the perfect person for her on her own but had been told that before she was born it was in the cards who would be destined for her. She was to be protected by two of the strongest vampires in the history of their world, with powerful ties to the Old World.

When both vampires were sure that she'd eaten her fill, for the moment, they removed the tray of food so that it was not in the way. Serious conversations were about to be had and none of them wanted to deal with the aftermath of any accidents. Sookie understood that much.

"I will explain everything to you but I ask that you not interrupt. I know you, Viking, hold your comments until the end or I will ask a Makers Command that you do so." Blue eyes flashed at each other as if they were trying to win the battle of wills. Eric might be younger than Sookie was in vampire years but he was older than her in other ways and she knew that. It was why she justed his judgement about who truly was their enemy.

"I promise min dotter. I will not say anything until you are done. I have missed you and while I desire to know why you have blocked our bond for half a millenia I know you must have had a good reason too. I have things to say but they will wait until you are done."

He wants nothing more than to just hold his daughter to him and comfort away her pain. He knows that she doesn't understand the feelings that are slowing starting to awaken in her but she will. The fact that Eric had to feed her his blood only sped up the process. They will be closer than they thought much quicker but right now he just needed to know what brought them to their current predicament.

He had held out hope that she would return to him because it had been foretold that she would and he knew that when that happened everything in the game of vampire politics would change. Right now he needed to know what was going on. As patriarch and head of the bloodline it was his right to dispense the justice that he saw fit for wrongs against his kin. Even the Magister would back him up on this one.

"As you know I left your side 500 years ago to travel. I muted the bonds so that you wouldn't know where was I was, only that I was alive. I didn't want to be found. You needed time with Eric, away from me and the constant reminders that I am supposedly his mate. I wasn't helping either of you so I left. Of course the people you sent for me were one of two types. Either they weren't very subtle and I was able to slip by them or they became determined to return me back injured if nothing else and they died. Not sorry for their losses by the way, so don't ask."

Taking a moment Sookie knew that she was about to get into the harder stuff but that was nothing compared to what they were all about to face if her suspicions for why Bill Compton was suddenly in town was true.

"It worked for about three centuries until I ran afoul of someone who didn't believe the legend of my name or that of my fathers. See the names Godric, the Angel of Death and his child Eric Northman, the Viking and Companion of Death are legendary. Famous. Even in the Old World. You strike much fear into their hearts but somewhere along the way, my name got overlooked. I'm nothing more than a myth or fairy tale. The world doesn't believe in me so why should I believe in myself?

I was in Arabia at the time though it's much more than that now, I still have trouble not calling it as it once was. One of the powerful Sheik rulers was a vampire and had heard of me. He had me found during my rest and taken as hostage. He thought I could be trained to be the perfect bedmate and companion. He failed of course. Despite everything he tried to do, something always stopped him from being able to take that one piece of my innocence left. Even I do not know why. As you can imagine, I was punished grately for it.

The beatings and whippings I could handle, they never did try to actually kill me, knowing that in the end I was still 'only' human; because what vampire has a heartbeat and can go out in the sun? Remember my legend is nothing more than that, a legend. I was with this vampire for a full century before he sold me off. I think by this time you both had made it to the New World and were too far away to even help if I had called. I didn't want any of you to feel this pain so I muted the bonds even more.

When the old World Vampires learned of who I really was, the fact that I did not age and that I did not seem to die they did their damndest to get rid of me. I was to become someone else's problem. You see they were old and set in their ways but they didn't want to face the powerful bloodline that was the Gaul's because they knew they would not survive. Instead they sold me to a power hungry vampire King in the New World.

I believe you both know of him very well. Probably far better than you would like and the secrets I know about him will only spell his demise. Russell Edgington, the vampire king of Mississippi took me. You have to understand that by this point I was so weak that even at my age I was truly no threat to anyone. I hadn't been feeding properly in close to two hundred years, and the vampire blood they always tried to feed me I would reject, the most painful way possible.

Russell thought it would be beneficial to have the daughter of the Gaul under this thumb. After all, he is afraid of you Godric, and Eric even after he destroyed Eric's human family. He might be older than either of you but together you are far more powerful than he thought you would be. So he had me, chained up in silver and iron in his basement for I can't even remember how long. He would release me long enough for my body to heal and that the combination of the two didn't kill me.

That was about a century ago. I only just escaped him a few years ago and have been in hiding. There are other things to know. I think perhaps I should show you the rest yes?"

She had said softly as she shook. She wasn't sure even her words could adequately describe what had happened to her while she was under the 'tender' care of Russell. There were only three people on the planet that knew that she had a unique little quirk to her telepathy. Not only could she hear the voices that were being thought but she could project images into the minds of those that knew about the gift. Both Eric and Godric had been there the day she had accidentally discovered that power.

Looking up a moment, Sookie noticed two hands in front of her. One was her fathers and the others was Eric's. Before taking them she looked into their eyes. She could see the myriad of emotions flying through them both. Anger, pain, resentment but none of them seem to be directed at her. She was feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that she was there with them, that she had escaped whatever fate she had and was whole, along with a whole mountain of love that seems to come from both vampires.

Taking their hands, Sookie dook a deep breath and decided that she needed to show them the whole situation. It would take too long to show them the whole one hundred years but she can show them the rest. After all they do have a few allies on their side and she knew that more would be coming out once it was officially declared that the Daughter of the Gaul, the Immortal Human was back in her rightful place. Letting her eyes close, Sookie didn't want to think about the memories but she knew she had too. These two powerful vampires were counting on her to give the information they needed.

_She'd lost track of the amount of time that she'd actually been here. Days and months bled together when you were locked away in a cell made of silver and iron and barely given any food. It was only a testament to her own will that she was still alive at all. It didn't matter that she wasn't going to give the man the information that she had, he was going to torture her regardless. There was a part of her that wanted to know if he would end up sending word to her own Father._

_Then again, why would he? Most people were scared of the vampire labeled with the mantle of Death. That much anyone knows. She'd seen first hand just how dangerous her own father could be and while she knew that he would never hurt her, she was afraid when he got that angry. Anyone should be. After all, how many other vampires destroy their makers twenty years into their infancy?_

_With eyes that were barely able to be opened, Sookie stared around at her cell. Her hair was matted with blood and dirt and barely able to seen that it was blonde. Her face was swollen and bruised, covered with dirt and blood as well. It looked like she'd clearly been abused. There were bite marks all over her both human and vampire but the human ones looked infected more than anything else._

_Whomever it was that was supposed to be taking care of her wasn't really. Sookie had learned over the time that she was here how to sleep without really being asleep. So when she heard the sound of a faint pop in the room she didn't think anything of it. Sookie, honestly, had learned to ignore most of the noises that appeared within her cell. So she paid this one no mind either_

_When she felt a hand on her face the young woman jerked awake with a growl. She'd been reduced to nothing more than a savage at the moment. So the face of the young man that had suddenly appeared was a shock but when she looked into a pair of eyes that looked just like hers. No words were spoken to her as the shackles that were removed and she was popped out of the place. Sookie had no idea who the man was but she wasn't ungrateful._

_She'd heard over the last few days that Russell was in talks with other states to try to see who would want the telepath. He was downplaying who she really was in order to find the best buyer for her. No one wanted to admit that they were willing to buy the only daughter of the Gaul._

_The sudden jerk of being popped out of the basement and into the sunlight was enough to make her cringe and cry out in pain. Of course there was also the fact that Sookie had no idea what time it was, what day it was or even what year it was. Finding out where she was lower on her list of to do things. For a moment all she could do was lay there in the grassy bayous and wonder what the hell was happening. The person appeared again but didn't actually say anything to her. Even now Sookie had no idea who they were._

_What she saw next was a bright white light and then the sound of someone's voice. The voice was clearly not the male that had been there moments ago, no this one was female. When Sookie opened her eyes a kindly older woman was standing over her asking if she was alright._

_"Hurts." was all she could say at the moment._

_"It's ok honey. Let's get you inside, cleaned up and we can talk alright?"_

From this point the memories sort of ran together but Sookie showed them how she'd found out the woman's name was Adele Stackhouse. Together they'd come up with a plan that would allow Sookie to fit into the town and the family without any questions asked. Of course it took quite a large amount of glamor to get everything worked out but then she did what she had too.

The images flashed again to pretending that she had a cousin, Hadley and a brother Jason. The images continued to flash as she worked at Merlotte's and the information that she gathered and the fact that the shifter always thought he was better than she was. The only one in the whole town who had any idea who she really truly was, would be Adele and Sookie was alright with that.

She then showed them the struggles she had but how they were minimal compared to what she went through with Russell until the vampires came out of the coffin. She showed them the rumors and reports that Hadley had been telling the Queen about her 'special' cousin. As she spent her time in Bon Temps growing and healing, Sookie had also tried to gather some information on the Queen and what to expect.

The next images that flashed through were her meeting with Bill, the conversation she had with Sam, and then the attack and Eric's subsequent rescue. Sookie removed her hands from Eric and her father's and sat there in complete silence. The information that she'd been gathering hadn't been much and now she was going to have to face the consequences. She hadn't reported in to the sheriff, not that she even knew who he was. With the images that she'd sent to the two she knew that they'd not be able to be mad at her for too long.

When Sookie had arrived in Louisiana, she'd had no idea really where she was and it had taken her a good long while to actually be able to think rationally. She was so far removed from the world of vampire politics that she didn't even know where to begin. Her thoughts were irrationally bouncing everywhere and she was losing her ability to focus.

Gentle hands brought Sookie back to the present as they scooped her up off of her spot in the couch and settled her in their lap. Turning her face to look she noticed it was her own father. He was comforting her the way he knew how, while trying to hold back his anger. It wasn't her fault that she'd been abused by Russell but they needed to focus on the present at the moment. Too many things were going on and there were too many players in the field. Russell and Sophie Anne, both of which seemed to be willing to risk True Death to get ahold of his daughter.

Eric was watching thoughtfully as Sookie showed them what happened. The more he had watched the more he was sure that she truly was a Valkyrie. A true Shieldmaiden. He was impressed with the way she had fought against the vampire but at the same time he was in a rage for what they had done to his mate. A conversation was going to need to happen between himself and his maker but for now their goal was to calm Sookie down.

"I understand that you are angry, but we cannot go off halfcocked without a full plan. Taking out Russell is going to be hard enough but we need to figure out why exactly Sophie Anne wants me as well. It would make sense, would it not, to play certain aspects out and see where they go?" said a quiet voice from inside Godric's lap.

Sookie had an idea but she was more trying to get them to calm down and herself as well. Having to retell her story was harder than she thought. Some of the vampires out there actually cared about blood offenses, and other's they didn't seem too. By using her the way they had, Russell and several of the old world vampires were guilty of a lot of dangerous things.

"I think we need to play this out for a while. We know that this Compton was sent here for a reason and that you got to her in time Eric, but we don't have anything right now that we can take to a Tribunal. Believe me I want nothing more than to call one but we cannot. Not without physical proof or a dead body. If we can get Compton to slip up, we can get more allies and more time."

Both sets of blue eyes turned and looked at the head of their bloodline. He had a point. While the images that Sookie had in her head were more than enough to have a Tribunal and get all of them in trouble, Godric's point made even better sense. Eric would need something hardcore that he could get Compton on, a way to try to squeeze the Queen. Humans weren't normally allowed at Tribunal's unless they were to be turned or turned into food. So getting Sookie there, despite who she was, would not be easy. Planning and preparation would be what they need.

"Bill is currently a guest at Fangtasia right now until I decide what to do with him. I know that I cannot kill him right now, even though I'm within my rights. However, I don't like the idea of him being too close to Sookie."

"Eric what choice to do we have? There is something larger at play here and we need to understand it. No one but Isobel knows that Godric is here and for now we need to keep it that way. The shifter only knows who I am because I needed him to get to message to you. If we play this carefully we might be able to figure out exactly what is going on. I don't like having to spend any time with that fake southern gentleman but until we know exactly what Sophie Anne knows, or wants, we can't risk it."

Sookie paused a moment in her talking to run a hand through her hair. She was nervous and even with the calm, love and understanding that was being pushed to her through the bond, she couldn't fight the nervous ticks. The Sookie they were looking at wasn't the same Sookie they had seen all those many years ago and both men knew they'd need to work on that.

"Sookie is right. We need to get her back to Bon Temps and the safety of Adele, for now. While you deal with Bill for other infractions. I'll be there with you to deal with his apparent disregard of helping Sookie. We can't hurt him too bad until we find out. Sookie might be your mate Eric but for now I think we need to have her act like the Stackhouse she's been pretending to be. For all we know no one really knows how much about our world she really does know and that can work for us.

Bill is our target. He's not going to know what you've done to Sookie this whole time and he might try to use that to get her on his side. We need to get him to see if he will tell us what's going on. I fully suspect that he has no idea who she really is and that they are acting upon the information by this Hadley person. What kingdom wouldn't want a telepath in their retinue. Still we need to be careful."

Sookie climbed out of Godric's lap and started to pace. She didn't like the idea of going back to Bon Temps but she couldn't just abandon everything. If they truly were going to uncover whatever plot it was that was in the making she needed to do this. Even though she might not think that Eric is her mate or whatever he was supposed to be, the idea of being away from someone that could offer her another line of protection was abhorrent. Safety in numbers.

"I guess. If you are planning to get any information from Compton before the next dawn arises then we should go now."

They could tell by her acidic tone that she would rather do anything else but getting her back in the tiny little town was their first priority. Eric would take her, Godric couldn't be seen yet. She understood this and yet she was fighting with everything. The two vampires gave each other a look and agreed that they'd talk more when she wasn't around. Their primary focus was making sure she was home in the place where people would actually 'miss her'.

Before she could complain too much, Sookie was scooped up into Eric's arms as he vamped out of his house and took the night sky. It wasn't that long of a flight between Shreveport and Bon Temps, not when you had Eric or Godric as your mode of transportation. When the two landed just on the border of the Stackhouse property, after Sookie had given directions, the two simply stared at each other first.

"I still don't believe in the whole mate thing. No you cannot come in, yet. I need to make sure Adele is alright and I have to work the evening shift at Merlotte's. I'll see you when I see you."

With that, Sookie dashed from his arms and ran up and into the house. She couldn't hear anyone moving around and considering how late at night it was, she didn't expect anyone to be up. Peeking into Adele's room she saw the woman asleep and sighed, before slipping into her own room. While she wasn't exactly uncomfortable in the clothing that she had been given it wasn't her own and after she had changed, Sookie settled herself back down on her bed. Her mind was racing with all the possibilities of what was going on that it took her a while to drift back off to sleep.


	7. Lies Never Stay Hidden

**So normally I don't write chapters this fast, especially without a beta, but there are extenuating circumstances for this. I received a guest review that I haven't decided to approve yet, that blasted me for a change in the plot of the story. Things in the last chapter were meant to be different, to contradict things from before. **

**I'm only going to say this once because frankly, I shouldn't have to say it at all. This is my story, I write it because it makes me happy and I choose to share it with you. I don't have too, I'm not required too. I do so because I want you all to share in the thrill in this story as I go through. Everything I write may not make sense at the time but it will eventually. That's the whole point of a story, to tell something. **

**This chapter is short, and it's a bit of a segue piece into the next one, but I hope it clears up some confusion that the last chapter might have caused. I do not have a BETA, I have no one to help me keep on track with plots and I don't mind the help but keep it to PMs and not reviews alright? **

**Also thank you to atrymden for help with the Swedish translations**

Truth was always something to be sought after regardless of the hurt it caused. Truth. Justice. For Sookie she wasn't even sure which path was the right one. She knew the truth, but she didn't always tell the truth. It was a fine line to walk and one that she'd mastered over the time. Normally, though, her lies didn't stay hidden and bubbled their way up to the surface of her mind, resulting in nightmares that she could barely restrain.

This particular night was no different for Sookie. She'd only told a few white lies, but in her mind she saw the great good that would come out of it. It was true that she'd been held prisoner, it just wasn't true who she'd blamed. Sookie had know that she was in Sophie Anne's compound because she'd seen the vampire herself plain as day. Yet why didn't she tell her father that? Why did she lie to Eric about her feelings?

To her the question shouldn't be an easy one to answer but it was. She was protecting them. Eric and Godric both were likely to strike at the targets they thought were the most dangerous threat and yet, neither of them honestly wanted the responsibility that would come with becoming the Regent of the state. There were laws in place to protect her, and the Magister would demand no more proof than her word that the action had been done. She knew this, and yet she was hesitant to enact them.

Tossing and turning in the bed that she had inside the old Stackhouse farmhouse, Sookie wondered if the two vampires knew she wasn't being completely truthful. Loyalty to her maker was beyond question. She would die to protect Godric and in a way she felt like she was protecting him. Things weren't exactly easy in Dallas, and he didn't need the added stress of trying to deal with Area 5 or Louisiana on top of it. Eric? Well he had enough hassle from the child queen but Sookie didn't think he'd want to be king.

After all why would someone who clearly was older and more powerful than the current monarch allow her to stay on the throne if it was something that he desired? That didn't make sense to her which was where Sookie got the idea that he didn't want the job. More red tape and Council nonsense to deal with.

Sookie doubted that either of the two vampires were willingly going to go along with her 'lets frame Bill and make him tell us all his secrets' plan in the way she had thought. While yes, she could go to the Magister and show him the truth behind what she had been through in the LeClerq court, Sookie wanted something more than just her memories to back up the actions.

It wasn't common knowledge that she couldn't be glamored but most were not brave enough to try, or would it be foolish enough? It wasn't like she went around admitting to everyone who she was either. Bill Compton was a fool and the unlucky pawn in the game by his queen. Sookie wasn't stupid, she knew why Sophie wanted her back and it was more than as just an asset in her retinue. With the state hemorrhaging money due to her less than stellar business ethic, and her unwillingness to marry for an alliance, Sookie was the only hope that Sophie had of paying off her debt.

It was only a matter of time before her own father found out about her deceit and then Sookie knew she'd be in serious trouble. While he could not, and would not offer her the True Death for her transgressions, there were other things he could do. She'd seen him angry and been on the wrong side of it before, when Eric was still a newborn vampire. It wasn't a side she wanted to see again. For the life of her, however, Sookie couldn't remember if she'd muted the bond with her father when she'd told them the story.

Her mind had been made up in that shower at Eric's that she would do something for him. While she might appear to openly hate the bond from time to time, and argue about it, she deeply and truly was happy about the course of actions. Only, Sookie wasn't sure if she should just give in that easily. This wasn't some sappy romance novel where the damsel in distress saw her knight in shining armor and instantly fell in love. She wanted him to work for it, to show her that he wanted her not because the Fates were forcing them together, but because it was what _he _truly wanted.

Her gift was one that wasn't sure they would understand however. Sookie knew the story of Eric and how a stranger had come to his village and murdered all of his family. How that man was never found again. She had known that it was a quest for vengeance that he still kept to this day, even with Godric trying to help. If they had just held out a little bit longer in Europe like she had wanted they would have found the same answers that she had. Sookie, through no fault of her own, had learned that it was Russell that had killed Eric's family.

Alone the Viking wouldn't stand a chance against the vampire but if you put Godric with him the two of them were far more powerful than anyone would have though. She was trying to gift him with a chance to have that. To finally have the closure he needed after 1000 years of looking. So that was why she'd lied and said that he had her. While the Gaul and the Viking were busy planning their revenge against Russell, Sookie would have time to try to figure out the game being played at home.

Sookie had never been at full strength but if what she knew of the legends surround her were true she would be able to take out Sophie Anne on her own. She just wasn't stupid enough to do so, not yet. She needed more information. The only part of her puzzle she couldn't quite figure out was why she'd been able to implicate someone like Hadley and the queen not know. Could vampires not tell when a human was glamored just by looking at them? Was it really that hard to know that the person that they'd spent any time with was acting even remotely strange?

When she'd been at Sophie Anne's compound, there had been a young blonde woman that had come and taken care of her from time to time. The girl was sweet, to a point, but blessedly naive about the world she was in. Sookie had no doubt that part of it was due to glamor but the other part was that she just simply didn't understand the full ramifications of the lifestyle she had been leaving.

It had been in one of these visits that the blonde had said her name was Hadley and had started to talk to Sookie about her family. Hadley didn't seem to have any problem about openly blabbing to strangers about her odd little family in the quaint little town of Bon Temps, and how much different it was from New Orleans. It was because of Hadley that Sookie had actually come up with idea for the cover story. Since the girl was already talking about her cousin Jason and her Gran she hadn't taken much convincing to mention a female cousin with the same name as their prisoner.

Why would she do that? Simple enough really. Sophie Anne was stupid enough to think that she wouldn't escape but she didn't want Hadley hurt for it. Hadley talked about a cousin, a female cousin that she hadn't seen in years that was odd. The last the girl saw her cousin was still alive. So it hadn't taken much work for Sookie to switch the memories to being herself and trying to fix the glamor so that Sophie Anne wouldn't think they were the same person. In her weakened state she honestly had not had any idea how strong the glamor would be or how long it would last.

She'd fed the girl information so that she could form a life upon her escape, it was why she was surprised when her rescuer had landed her in Bon Temps and in Adele's capable hands. To the town she'd always been there, only Adele had remembered the young woman's death. Sooke even now could remember the conversation she had with Adele about why she'd made it seem like she was Hadley's cousin instead of trying for clean slate.

She had tried to explain it in the best way she knew how. By assuming the life of someone else, and modifying others into it, it granted her a modicum of protection. At first, Hadley was a novelty to the queen for her unusual blood, but if she was turned that would be gone. So why not let the girl shift some of the focus off of herself, and onto an non-existant gifted cousin in the first place? It should keep her alive longer, maybe until she can be rescued from the nightmare that is Sophie Anne. It also bought Sookie some time. She had planned to escape on her own and no one would know where to start to look for her, they wouldn't think to start in some backwater town right? Still, Sookie had manipulated some of this on her own and she knew that the others would not be happy about that.

As her blue eyes stared up at the ceiling above the bed, Sookie tried to come to some sort of conclusion. During her many stays in less than hospitable locations she'd realized that power was important but it wasn't everything. Those in power stood a greater chance to lose everything than those that had no power at all. Where was the balance? Everyone knew that vampire politics, especially in the New World, were cut throat at best and mediocre at the worst. Kings and Queens came and went as fast as someone could kill them. Her family was divided between two places and they needed to consolidate power.

She'd started this game a long time ago and the pieces were finally falling into place. Let it not be said that she would not do anything for her family. Even if it meant forcing them to take the throne or gain a rise in their status that they hadn't wanted to obtain on their own. Vampire law dictated that she request a Tribunal for what she'd gone through, at least at the hands of Sophie Anne but that would mean revealing her hand too quickly. The bitch queen needed to pay but Sookie wanted there to be no way she could get out of it.

After all it would be her word and memories versus Sophie Anne's and since some time had already passed she knew that while, the council and the Magister might take her word for it, other vampires wouldn't. To truly secure the state for the better she would need to do something to catch the woman in a trap that she couldn't get herself out of. Besides, having the Magister kill the vampire would save them the trouble of trying to get Eric or her father to do it and become king.

For Sookie, Bill was that pawn to get the information she needed. Sophie Anne wanted out of debt at all costs and using Sookie wasn't an option, anymore, but that didn't mean that Sookie doubted that the redhead had a back up plan. She probably did, and more than likely it had something to do with Russell. Removing the King of Mississippi from his spot would force Sophie Anne into another less than desirable deal with another state. It could even be enough to see her forced from the throne.

There was no reason for a queen to have a procurer like Compton. She didn't need a the 'things' she kept bringing into her fold. Besides that, if they truly suspected that Sookie was here and she'd sent her procurer to get her, it meant that Sophie Anne was skirting the laws. Bill was supposed to report to Eric and, if the queen was sending someone to do business in Eric's area, then she should have informed him. She has not, which means she understands the dangers of crossing the Viking and is hoping to rectify the problem without him being the wiser for it.

Musing was never a good thing and it would always lead to more questions. In truth, only Sookie would understand why she chose to lie and why she is manipulating things. Well Sookie and the Ancient Pythoness. Her father wasn't the only one to get the visits. Sookie's had conversations with the woman before and understood that the future isn't always a defined place. That her actions now would be needed if they wanted a better outcome on their future. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt that she was lying and manipulating things. That she was purposefully forgetting or ignoring parts of her past.

It was stupid but she truly hoped that the others would buy the act and not question it. Sookie was not normally one to manipulate things, that was the Vikings job, or the even the Gaul's job. Up until she had left them her job had been really nothing but their third wheel. She'd had a purpose but it wasn't as important as theirs. They were the ones that were feared, she was the one that people just wanted to treat like a shiny new toy, until the shine wore off and then throw away. She'd accepted that long ago, it was why she was working so hard to force the hand. Sookie had no idea how the two would react if she went to them and told them the truth.

While yes, there might be a prophecy out there about how the three of them change the future for vampires, she doesn't know all the details. She only knows the part she is supposed to play for now and the solemn vow she took to only reveal the details when it was the right now, now was not the right time. She only hoped that she would know when that time was.

It was these musings that Sookie used to drift herself off to sleep, to prepare for another day in the quiet town. Gossip would be in full swing, not only for the vampire in town but for her disappearance for a few days. It wasn't really something that she was looking forward to dealing with but something she would have to put up with.

* * *

><p>After dropping Sookie off at the property line for the Stackhouse residence, Eric couldn't help but notice the Compton house near it. The fact that they were neighbors didn't sit well with him but seeing as Bill was locked up in his basement he wasn't going to argue about it, at the moment. He needed to get back and meet with his maker. They had things to discuss and he knew that Godric didn't buy half the nonsense that Sookie was spewing. What made him curious was the fact that she felt the need to lie to them, to both of them.<p>

It was these thoughts that filled his mind as he shot up into the sky to fly back to Shreveport. Godric was supposed to meet him at Fangtasia and he could feel the tug there from the bond with his maker. If he had figured out that Sookie was being dishonest he had no doubt that her own father could but why? The Sookie he remembered had always been honest and bright. Not that she wasn't bright right now but this level of deception was new. Something else had to be going on and he was going to find out what.

Regardless of whether or not Sookie was lying to him, she was still his mate and that would never change. He just hated being one step behind the game and even worse, nothing more than a pawn.

Landing in the staff parking lot at Fangtasia, Eric quickly entered the quiet establishment. It was an off night for the club and they didn't have to worry about pesky patrons accidentally wandering in on them. Not that that was a rarity. Few people even knew about his basement. noticing that Pam was there speaking the Godric, Eric smiled a moment. He had most of his family one place and this was a good thing.

With a nod to Pam, when she turned around to look at him, Eric and Godric headed into his office. They needed to talk before they sought out a punishment for his failure to protect Sookie and then trying to force his blood in her. He just wasn't sure what to do. Thankfully he was saved by his maker starting their little conversation.

"Är hon trygg?" (Is she safe?)

"Ja, far." (Yes, father.)

"Jag tror inte att hon berättade hela sanningen. Jag har aldrig hört talas om att Sookie ljuger så där."  
>(I don't believe she was telling us the entire truth. I've never known Sookie to lie like that.)<p>

"Ja. Vilket betyder att någonting annat händer och det är möjligt att Compton vet vad det är.  
>(Yes. Which means that something else is going - and it's possible that Compton knows what it is.)<p>

"Vi måste vara försiktiga så att vi inte visar våran hand. Det är meningen att vampyrvärlden ska känna till Sookie, men det verkar som om somliga inte gör det. Hon sa själv att hon inte var mer än en legend för vissa, en saga. Det oroar mig. Likaså att hon namngav Russell när du tydligt berättade för mig att du såg vad som hände henne när du helade henne.  
>(We must be careful that we do not tip our hand. The world of vampires are supposed to know about Sookie, and yet it seems as some do not. She herself said that to some she was nothing more than a legend, a fairy tale. This concerns me. As does her naming Russell when you clearly told me you saw the what happened to her when you healed her.)<p>

""Du har rätt, saker pågår som vi inte förstår. Jag tvivlar inte på att vi kommer att hållas ovetande tills Sookie litar på oss. Jag hatar att bara vara en bricka i det här spelet.  
>(You are right, there are things going on that we do not understand. I doubt that until Sookie is willing to trust us with the information, that we will be in the dark. I hate being nothing more than a pawn in this game.)<p>

Pausing a moment the two vampires thought about what was going on. It was clear that Sookie was involved in something, that she either didn't trust them or was trying to do the stupid thing and protect them. It was their job to protect her and so far they'd both failed. Neither quite knew what the end game was but they could at least get a few bits of information from the pathetic vampire that was Bill.

"Låt oss gå och se till våran gäst. Jag ser fram emot att få reda på vilka överraskningar du har i beredskap för dem som begår blodsbrott."  
>(Let's go see to our guest. I can't wait to see what surprises you have in store for someone who commits a blood crime.)<p>

With a nod to his maker, Eric lead the way to the basement. Bill was in for a nasty shock. Eric was his sheriff and could easily punish him for breaking one of the most fundamental rules, but when you add in his weight of being her mate the situation became even more dire. Not only that, but the fact that Godric was here, well that just upped the ante even more.


	8. A Little Bit of Payback

**This will be the last chapter I update here at . Due to some issues that have come up around people that I greatly admire I will no longer be updating here. If you'd like to follow please do so at reinla dot wordpress dot com. I will be updating there quite often. If you have any questions please send me a private message. **

Rumors and fantasies were often mistaken for the same thing. As it was a lot of rumors were often based on more fantasy than reality, especially in these days. What no one could understand was exactly how the story of Sookie, the daughter of The Gaul, had become more fantasy and rumor than actual truth. Even when she'd not been traveling the world with the two of them the vampires that encountered them knew who she was. They all knew that she wasn't to be touched in any fashion. It was decreed by the Ancient Pythoness. If she decreed something normally it meant that everyone followed.

Granted, there were younger vampires like Sophie Anne and Compton that thought they were above the decrees and laws. It was why they were in the situation they were in. If people had actually believed that she was who she truly was there would have been no call for any action. What boggled Godric's mind, Eric's too if he were honest, was the way that Sookie was acting. They'd been warned before about what blood could do to her, if she managed to ingest any that didn't make her violently ill. The Sookie they'd dropped off at the farmhouse in Bon Temps was not the Sookie they both knew.

Concern about Sookie was strong but the need to teach others what happened when they messed with family was even stronger. Though, Eric and Godric both knew that if they gave Bill the True Death that he deserved they would be forced to retaliate against the Queen and her own actions. They needed to first find out exactly why Compton had left court and then decided if they should kill him or not. In truth, if they could turn, him even for a little while, he would be a far greater ally against the Queen. Once Godric or Eric secured throne they could dispose of Bill Compton finally.

Both vampires entered the basement with their faces wiped of any emotion. As sheriff, Eric was within his rights to punish Bill for not checking in before moving to his area, and for the blood office he nearly committed on Sookie. The question became how to get the information they wanted without ending up being summoned to a tribunal themselves. Not that Godric couldn't and wouldn't defend himself, they just didn't need the hassle until they were ready to take control. Doing things too early would not benefit any of them.

Vamping down the stairs and standing in front of their prisoner, both Eric and Godric looked thoughtful a couldn't tip their hand too early, or provide too much torture. In truth, while they both wanted to kill the vampire before them, they could not. That would leave Sookie vulnerable to the Queen even more than she already was. With her acting crazy they needed to find out whatever else was going on and try to fix it, before more damage was done.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"It appears to be a vampire who thinks he's too good to follow our laws. Is that what it is Compton? You too good to follow our rules?"

Both sets of eyes stared at the vampire that was strung up before them. Pam had done an excellent job of securing their prisoner. Bill was hanging from the ceiling with silver chains and the padded and wrapped ones either. These were the old kind, the kind where the silver would eat into the flesh all the way down to the bone; if left long enough. He already had a few cuts and scratches on him and by the way he was breathing heavily probably silver pierced in and out of his chest. It looked as if someone had actually tried to talk back and he'd been punished for it.

"Now Bill. You do know why you're here do you not?"

"I have no idea what I've done that would warrant this kind of treatment. Do you treat all the new arrivals into your area this way or is it because you hate me?"

"Oh Compton, lets get one thing straight. I hate you. We already know this but if you're actually dumb enough to have no idea what you've done then I really think I should let my maker go ahead and do what he's planning on doing."

With that one last bit of knowledge, Bill's whole countenance changed. He'd heard of the Gaul. You had to be an utterly stupid vampire to not have heard of the vampire nicknamed Death. Yet Bill hadn't quite figured out why he was here or siding with Eric. From what he could tell he had done nothing wrong, except not check in with Eric yet. The human he was trying to feed his blood too needed to be healed and she'd already helped him before so it was just returning a favor right? How was that such a bad thing.

Almost as if they could judge where his thoughts were going, Godric let a little of his power flow before he started to speak. Both he and his progeny were sheriffs for a reason. With little effort they could both dispose of their respective monarchs and rule Louisiana and Texas. They just hadn't yet. Everyone knew this and yet people like Compton and Sophie Ann still continued to play these childish games.

"You failed to check in with your sheriff before moving into the area. I don't care if you were sent here by the Pope, you are to request permission to move to the area, before you actually move. You have very little regard for the rules. Why is that?"

Both of the elder vampires waited to see what Bill's response would be. From what they knew of him he wasn't exactly one to keep his mouth shut about things. Not if he thought it would give him an advantage over the other. That was Bill's mistake. Well one of the many. As if either Godric or Eric cared that he had favor with the Queen. It would only get him so far in the world and there were older vampires than himself that would use that as a means of disposing of him.

"My Queen knows I'm here. She's sent me here for research for her. A top secret project that I cannot discuss with you. She said she informed you of my move and that should you give me any trouble about it I was to report to her immediately. This constitutes as trouble. You're in deep shit Eric, she's going to see this as treason and you know it."

Before Compton could say much more a fist hit him square in the jaw, breaking it. Eric didn't mind physical violence against vampires. It made it easier for him actually. Helped him alleviate some of his anger at the shitstorm they had walked into because of Sookie and Sophie Anne. Still, as Bill talked it made Eric concerned even more for the mess that his mate was in. Something just wasn't adding up and he hadn't quite figured it out yet.

"No one advised me of your arrival. IF the Queen had you wouldn't be in this mess, my distaste for your presence aside. Whatever project you're doing for the Queen you will tell us or you will face the Magister. You've not only shown up unannounced but you tried to force you blood on a human. A human who was to remain untouched by our kind unless by her father or mate. Do you want to explain that one?"

Eric wanted to light into Bill more with physical violence but the restraining hand of his maker prevented him from doing so. Godric was the only reason that Eric hadn't already killed the fool like he should have years ago when he was an enforcer. Now they were stuck trying to figure out the game and being unable to truly do anything about it. Already by Bill's own admission he was here with the Queen's permission. The only thing that they needed to uncover was exactly what the project was.

"She's just a human. She helped me out of a tight spot and I thought that returning the favor with some of my blood wouldn't be such a bad thing. She's a simple human from a backwater town I don't understand the problem"

There was a moment of shock as it rippled through the basement of Fangtasia. How could he not have any idea what he'd done. She wasn't just any human. She was the one of the prophecy, the one that the Council had strict orders. Anyone harming her was subject to true death at any time. This was madness.

Godric, who'd been quiet most of the time looked between his child and their prisoner. If Sookie had been a normal human there still wouldn't have been a need for this. He had a pretty good idea what the situation was that Sookie had gotten him out of and it made him angry. She should have just let the drainers have him and rid the world of one more pathetic excuse for a night-walker.

"You are one of the dumbest vampires I have ever had the displeasure of meeting Bill Compton. Not only did you think that your Queen could just decide that you didn't have to follow the law and therefore you didn't, but you set it up so that my daughter was attacked by drainers to the point of near death so that you could give her your blood as a thank you. If I for one minute thought you could be smart enough to actually believe that lie I wouldn't be who I am. Has your maker not taught you anything? Sookie is off limits to everyone, queen or no. She is protected by the COUNCIL. By all legal rights I can give you your True Death and there's not a single person who would punish me or Eric for it. Now.. Seeing as you may yet still prove useful I think you will hang out here for another night while my child and I deliberate your punishment."

Eric looked at his maker. He hadn't Godric like this in a very long time. Dawn was approaching, however, and they needed to be somewhere to rest. Neither fancied sleeping in the coffins they had but it was the only choice. Bill wasn't going to be able to escape until he was freed by one of them. He nodded his acquiescence to his maker as the two vamped up the basement stairs. Something was gnawing at both of them.

"I've had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting his maker. I highly doubt she's stupid enough to not teach him who Sookie really is. So it makes me wonder, what does the Queen know, how does she know it, and how does she expect Compton to follow through with it, knowing that Sookie is supposed to be protected by the council."

"I guess we'll find out what it is when we discover why Sookie is trying to protect us. I fear that for now we are stuck in the dark. We need to do some research on Compton and try to see if there is anything we can use against him right now. We need him on our side, even temporarily. Neither you nor I have a legitimate excuse to hang out in Bon Temps, he does, however, and that bothers me as well. If the queen does indeed know he's here. I expect she will call tomorrow when she hasn't heard from him in a couple of days. Come. let's get some rest and we will talk tomorrow when we rise about what to do with him."

As they headed to their resting place, Eric fired of several emails to various people assigning them tasks to look into. He knew that he'd have all of the information they needed sent back to him to be accessed when he rose the following night. With that thought in mind, Eric allowed himself to settle into his coffin, his mind slipping to his mate before the pull of death encroached upon him.

Godric too was thinking of Sookie. Trying to understand what game she was playing. He'd only ever seen her do this once and it was long before he'd turned Eric. She'd truly been scared out of her wits about something and when he'd found her again she'd been lying about what happened, downplaying it because she had been terrified he would blame her. When he learned the truth he hadn't been mad at her, but at the people who'd harmed her. It was one of the ways that he showed the world why he was nicknamed Death. He'd had a long talk with Sookie about it and she'd agreed to never do that again. Yet here she was, terrified and hiding behind the lies. He knew something was going to happen that she was scared of but if they didn't find out they couldn't prepare. These were his thoughts as his day death drew him under.


	9. Sookie versus Sam

Sookie had slept fitfully the entire night. Even if seeing her father again was a balm to her soul, lying and hiding things made it hard for her to sleep. She was awake long before she needed to be but it wasn't something she could fix. After showering and heading downstairs, Sookie thought about what she should tell Adele. The older woman had trusted her up until this point but it was time for Sookie to leave her. Staying would only endanger the woman.

Sookie hated that she had some of the same senses as a vampire, on top of the telepathy. She could hear Adele up and moving about in the kitchen. Moving that way, the young blonde smiled as she saw the elderly woman. Adele had been more like a mom to her than a grandmother even if they weren't blood related. She knew that she would miss her when she had to leave.

"You don't look like you got any sleep. You came in so late last night. Is everything alright?"

Sookie smiled at Adele. If she had really been her grandmother she was quite certain that the woman would threaten to tan her hide for being missing for two days without a word. Yet she wasn't. Adele Stackhouse seemed to understand a lot more about the world than anyone ever gave her credit for, and Sookie understood and used that knowledge.

"What I told you might happen finally has. They've sent someone to collect me and I honesty don't know what to do. I know that your granddaughter Hadley is a favorite of the Queen's it's partly why I glamored her. I wanted her to stay safe and not be killed simply because she was of little use. By talking about a cousin, or rather me, and acting like a cousin, it would allow her to remain in the Queen's favor. You do not want to know what happens to those that lose the favor of that spoiled little brat."

Sookie paused a moment as she moved to take a seat at the table. Already there were breakfast foods cooked, waiting to be consumed and Adele handed her a cup of coffee as she took her seat as well. This was the hardest part. Yes, Sookie could have tried to find a way to get Hadley out of the clutches of Queen Sophie-Anne but it would have meant revealing the friend she had inside the court. Instead, she had the girl glamored into talking about a special cousin from back home. Of course, the queen had no idea she had someone with the gift of memory manipulation. Glamors are easy enough to detect for this plan to work they had to manipulate long standing memories.

It was a good thing that Russell hadn't yet shared with Sophie-Anne or anyone else just who he had imprisoned within his state. If he had, then Sookie would be having to work even harder to get them all out of this mess.

"I appreciate that child but why are you so worried? From what you've told me your father, and this Viking are very powerful. Can't they protect you?" Adele asked her without pause. It was quite clear that the older woman didn't understand what was at stake. It was as it should be. She knew what she needed to know, not anything more or less. It helped if the woman was to be glamored by anyone.

"Vampire politics. I've told you the chain of command before, but yes they are powerful and they could protect me. Then again, I have the entire Vampire Authority on my side with a death edetic that if anyone so much as harms me they will be granted True Death. The problem is, I've become nothing more than a legend to most. A bedtime story of a vampire turning gone wrong and the erstwhile child of the Gaulish vampire. Because they've stopped believing in the merit of who i am we find ourselves at a crucial time."

Adele and Sookie both paused their conversation to eat the breakfast that had been made. When they were done the dishes were washed and put away and the two women headed into the living room. They needed to continue this conversation and she needed to get information to Adele without the fear of it being too late.

"I know that you are not a vampire but your grandchildren have some supernaturalness about them. They aren't completely human. Then again, neither am I. I know what I am, who I am but I've been relegated to the stories the world forgot. Just over two thousand years ago a prophecy was given. There is very powerful vampiress. She has many names, The Ancient Pythoness, Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi. She is all of these and more. You must understand that what I know is gathered from bits and pieces of the prophecy ast old to various supernatural beings throughout the world. I've spent one thousand years collecting the knowledge that would help us understand it all. It's not all of the pieces but I will tell you what I can. There are things that even you need to know."

Trying to get comfortable on the couch, Sookie wondered why she felt the need to tell Adele. The woman was nice and all but if this information got in the hands of the wrong person it could be dangerous. Adele was a human that could be glamored, but she doubted that anyone would stoop that low. No one suspected that she knew everything that she did. If anything they would only dig to find out if Sookie did in fact live here and if she was 'unique' like everyone kept claiming she was.

"There's a chance that this information could put you in danger Adele, and that is not my intention. You've been kinder to me than other humans and supernaturals and for that I will always be grateful. I feel that you need to know at least some of what's going on so that if you see things that don't add up or are out of the ordinary you know to take the proper precautions. You're a smart woman and I value that. You've been able to tell that I'm not entirely human and that is the truth. I am over two thousand years old. My father is a very old and very powerful vampire who earned the nickname child death or just death. His known vampire progeny is over one thousand years old and was a former Viking. Together they have three thousand plus years of power and knowledge on their side. A formidable duo no? They are but they don't know everything that is coming their way.

There are three main things that need to happen if all vampires are truly to live in peace between humans and the other supernatural creatures. First, we need to make sure that the states are run by capable leaders. Louisiana is not. The second is that the Viking's unending quest for vengeance be ended. Third, we need to remove the corruption from the top down. There are corrupt vampires in charge of all the rules and they must be eliminated. That is where the prophecy comes in to play. It was seen that three people would do this. Two vampires and one human-hybrid mix. Together the three of them would help create a lasting peace between the races and eliminate the corruption for good.

As you can see no one really buys into that kind of thing but I can tell you that the pieces have already started to be moved as part of the puzzle. The current queen has sent her best procurer here to Bon Temps to track down this 'special cousin' of Hadley's. He's already made his move. He had me beaten almost to death and tried to get his blood into me. Thankfully, I knew enough to contact the local vampire sheriff. He was able to help me out. Papa came down too. Things are only going to get more complicated from here. It will be safer, for all of us, if I don't stay much longer. Just long enough to figure out who killed Maudette. I need you not to invite any vampires inside here that I haven't introduced to you, and I need you to be very careful. I do not know what you're new neighbor will do. The Compton house now holds a vampire."

By the time she was done talking Sookie knew that Adele probably thought she was insane. It was a lot of information to take in and yet it wasn't enough. There was so much more that needed to be done. She was trying to take everyone out of play so that her father and her mate, would be safe. Sookie knew that Eric was hers just like she was pretty sure he knew it. Her father had made sure tell her that bit of information just after he'd made Eric when he'd been quite certain. She just needed to find out how to make them all safe, even if it cost her her own life.

Before Adele could say anything in return, however, the phone rang at the farmhouse. Getting up to answer it, Sookie frowned. She wasn't exactly expecting things to happen but the person on the other end was not welcome.

"Hello?"

"Hey cher. One of the waitresses didn't come in and we are shorthanded. Do you think you could come in in and help us out?"

"It's supposed to be my day off Sam."

"You didn't show up for the last two days Sookie."

"Fine I'll be there."

She slammed the phone back down on the receiver much to the chagrin of Adele. With a deeper frown, Sookie sighed and started to make up to the stairs. She had no idea if the woman would listen to her or not, but it had been worth a try. Now she was having to go into work so she couldn't even find out the answer. This whole thing reeked of a bad horror movie waiting to happen. Still, Sookie dressed for Merlotte's and headed out into her car. The drive was short and unfortunately that meant she didn't have much time to think about what she was going to do.

When she got to the bar, the blonde was even angrier. They weren't short staffed like Sam had said they were. Still she clocked in and started to work to help out. He had been right, she had missed the last two days but he also knew why. No one that had gone through what she had, would have been able to make it into work. It was only through the combined blood of both Godric and Eric that she was even able to walk today.

When the lunch shift was over, Sookie took her break and then waited for the night shift to start. Of course she would be lucky if she got through that one without getting herself fired. As it would turn out, she wasn't lucky. When the other waitresses had left and the night crew started to trickle in, Sookie was about to clock out and go home when she was stopped by Sam in his office.

"We need to talk cher."

"Stop calling me that. You know my name."

"Fine. Sookie we need to talk. I can't have any more events like the other night happen here."

"Events? You mean me saving a vampire? Or do you mean that same vampire watching as I was nearly beat to death, only to have the sheriff come and save me, along with my father. "

"That's what I'm talking about. You're getting involved with all those vampires. I don't want them around my bar or you."

For one long moment Sookie was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe that she was having this conversation with a shifter. Yes she knew that certain other supernatural species didn't like vampires but after everything she'd told him, after the fact that she'd dropped that she was the daughter of the Gaul, he was pulling this stunt? All she could do was stand there gobsmacked for a moment before she let her hand do the talking.

The resounding echo of the slap permeated the office as Sookie seethed.

"First you lie and get me to come in and work a full shift knowing you don't need the help. Then you have the nerve to pull this. Do you have any idea who I really am? Or are you in love with the thought of who you want me to be? I can't just not have vampires in my life. MY FATHER IS A VAMPIRE!"

The scream was loud but thankfully no one would hear it with the noise of the bar. This was uncalled for. A quick peak into his mind told her it was jealousy and anger talking. He was mad that she was allowing vampires to touch her or be around her and not him. He wanted her. She'd told him over and over again they would only be friends.

"I won't have vampires in my bar Sookie. So make a choice."

She knew that she was going to have to make one. Bon Temps was no longer home to her, she needed to get to Shreveport if she was going to help with anything. Still she was trying very hard to reign in her emotions. She didn't need Godric or Eric showing up because of her distress.

"There was never a choice to make Sam. You're just showing me how truly ignorant you are of all that is going on. I remember the recognition in your eyes when I left you that cryptic note for Eric. When I wrote that the daughter of the Gaul had been found. Do you have any idea who the Gaul is?"

"There just legends Sookie. They aren't real."

**"****Who's not real, shifter?"**


	10. A Lesson In Manners

The sound of the third voice breaking up the fight was enough to make both people in the office turn and look at the person standing in the doorway. At first, Sookie had hoped that she had been able to hide her erratic emotions hidden. She knew, however, that with both her father's and Eric's blood inside of her they would be monitoring her. After the beating she had taken it was only a natural reaction.

Sookie turned her head and stared at the vampire that was standing there. The girl who'd worked in Merlotte's for the last little while wished that Sam would keep his mouth shut. Yet the woman that had slapped him hoped that he would say something entirely stupid and pay for it, dearly. There were reasons why people tried to avoid crossing older vampires. They could tear you apart so very easily.

Sookie hoped that for the first time Sam would actually show that he had any brains. She knew exactly who that voice was that had spoken and yet he didn't seem to be phased. Instead he kept his voice on Sookie's as he carried on with his tirade. Right now he was safe from anything more than a tongue lashing but she knew how irrational Sam's behavior could become and Sookie prayed that she wouldn't have to watch her boss get almost killed.

Sookie's thoughts were interrupted by the fact that someone had grabbed her and was shaking her as if she were a small child. Jerking her gaze back towards Sam, Sookie frowned and tried to break free of the hold. She didn't want to hurt anyone and without being a full strength she couldn't really break the hold. There was no doubt in the blonde's mind that she was going to be bruised by the time he let go.

"C'mon Sookie I know you're smarter than this. None of this is real. Those are just legends. Did they glamor you into believing such nonsense. Yes Eric is an old vampire but there's no such vampire as this Gaul, there is no immortal humans. It's all make believe."

Before Sookie could actually answer she felt the weight of Sam being ripped from her. The sound of his body hitting the office wall was enough to jerk her mind again. She could hear his thoughts, broadcasting at her specifically as he tried to understand what the hell was going on. Sam was an idiot, that much Sookie could actually say. He had gotten himself into this mess and yet he was blaming her.

"Father."

It was all she had to say before Sookie found herself wrapped in the arms of Godric as he kissed the top of her head. It had been far too long since he'd just held her and right now that was what he was trying to do, as she tried to get her emotions under control. She knew that he could feel them through two bonds.

When she was finally calm enough to look at the situation as objectively as she could. Turning in Godric's arms, so that her father was still holding her, Sookie set her gaze on Sam. She wanted to feel bad for him but she couldn't. His crumpled form stared up at her from the floor of his office.

"Sam. I believe you've never met my father, Godric. You know the Gaul vampire you claimed never existed. Godric this is my boss Sam Merlotte."

"Former boss. I'm sorry Sookie but you can't work here if you're associating with vampires. I won't have it. I thought you were a good girl but you're just a fangbanger. No better than Dawn was."

Sookie had honestly had enough. This was the ultimatum he was going to give her. Of course she should have known or predicted that Sam would do something stupid like this. Sookie was itching to slap him again, to know that she had once again regained some of her power from the shifter but she never got the chance.

Sam's body was suddenly dangling from the wall by the albeit small but powerful vampire that had just been holding her moments before. For the first time in as long as she could remember her father had muted the true power that he possessed, the parts of himself that had earned the name Death. Yet now as she stood there in absolute shock at the horrific words that had been spewed from Sam's mouth, Sookie watched as her father loosed some of the power that he had been holding back. Even now she was shocked to see that she almost faltered in her own standing.

Godric might be over two thousand years give or take a few but the vampire was far stronger than any other's his age, save maybe for the older vampires in the Old Worlds. Sookie sighed a moment as she flexed the arm that Sam had grabbed and watched as her father leaned in real close to Sam's face.

"Listen well shifter. I know that you know exactly who I am. You've heard of me, I can see it in your eyes. Yet you persist with this useless line of conversation. Not only that but you put your hands on my daught. My own flesh and blood. I would have figured that someone like you, even a lowly shifter, would know the rules and etiquette when it comes to our world. Be glad I am not your sheriff."

Killing Sam would have created too many problems and he couldn't just haul the man out of the bar in full view of the patrons. They needed Sam to keep the place open. Instead Godric simply dropped the shifter on his ass. There would be bruises and probably a few breaks in Sam but at least he would learn, one would hope.

Turning his gaze back to his daughter, Godric held out his hand for Sookie. They were leaving this area and returning to Shreveport. Then they would take care of Bill, release him, and sit down and have a talk about why people shouldn't keep secrets. He just hoped that she would open up to him. With his other hand, Godric sent a quick text message to Eric advising him of the situation here. They would decide if they would take care of the shifter later, and he needed to ask Sookie about what this Dawn woman.

"Come little one, let's go home."

Sookie didn't need to be told twice, she simply took her father's hand and the two of them zipped out of the bar so fast that no one could see them. Out in the parking lot of Merlotte's, the elder vampire took to the sky and carried them both towards the direction of Shreveport. Of course she hadn't thought that he had drove, he much preferred to fly just like Eric.

The trip didn't seem to take that long, despite how far they knew the distance to actually be. Landing just outside the employee entrance to Fangtasia, Godric released Sookie and smiled at her before kissing her forehead. Tonight was going to be tough on her. Already she'd fought with her boss, been fired, and now she was dragged here in clothes that no one should be forced to wear. They were about to go and have a little chat with Bill about his behavior.

Both Sookie and Godric entered the bar but headed into different directions. Godric zipped off to make sure that Eric was still in his office and Sookie headed out front to the bar. If she was going to make it through the rest of the night she would need some liquid courage. Smiling at Longshadow, Sookie ordered her usual gin and tonic and sat at the bar waiting. She could see Pam at the door and knew that Eric was around here somewhere.

It was hard not to use her curse, to not hear the sounds of the voices crowding around her; especially when her shields were shot because of her former boss yelling at her. All around her she could hear the thoughts of the fangbangers. They wanted Eric but they also wanted the younger mysterious vampire that had been hanging around. To say that she nearly gagged on her drink to hear the things they wanted to do to her father was an understatement. It was enough that the bartender gave her a funny look and she had to plaster her face with a fake smile.

With a sigh, Sookie closed her eyes and once again tried to rebuild her shields. They would not come up, no matter what she tried. Deciding to make the most of it, Sookie set out to listen to the conversations around her. She was able to actually do some good tonight. Pointing out three underage drinkers to Longshadow and two drainers to Pam. They would deal with those problems.

Resting her head on the top of the bar, as she tried to will her headache to go away. Sookie had no idea how long she'd had her head like that when a cool hand stroking the back of her neck. Lifting her head slightly, Sookie spotted Eric standing there. Grabbing the proffered hand she allowed him to help her stand and watched as he kissed her cheek before moving them away from the bar and down towards the basement.

"There's some matters to attend too. Pam is closing down the bar. Come with me."

Sookie simply nodded. Too numb and tired to really say much of anything. She allowed herself to be lead down to the basement and into the view of the vampire still chained in silver. One look at the pathetic excuse for a creature and Sookie couldn't help but giggle. She could tell that her father and probably Eric, along with Pam took took great pleasure in making sure this vampire was hurting.

It would take at least a week of feeding to set him to rights. By the order of the Vampire Authority, they had every right to end him and more but they hadn't. In truth they were both showing Bill mercy though she doubted he would see it that way.

"Billy-Boy you're lucky. Sookie made a full recovery. You're free to go. As your sheriff, know that I'll be watching you very closely. I would expect better of you in the future. Next time you see Sookie in trouble you will aide her, won't you?"

"Mmms."

The muffled sound of Bill trying to answer brought Sookie's attention to him for a moment. Sookie tried to find out why he couldn't say anything and then it occurred to her. They'd broken his jaw and probably ripped out his fangs as well. She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the entire scene. At least until the events of the evening caught up with her. Sookie found herself leaning against Eric a little more as she tried to stay upright.

"Pam. Longshadow. Drop Bill off at his house and make sure he stays there. Then head to your homes for the night. Godric, Sookie and I are heading out. "

As soon as he got his childe's assurance that she would follow his request, Eric brought Sookie upstairs and then along with his maker, took off into the sky with her in his arms. They were not going to go to Bon Temps. The heading was to one of Eric's houses there in Shreveport where they would be safe for the day. He'd already had human food delivered and the staff was waiting to look after the only human he trusted inside his home.


	11. What About Bill?

Too many things were happening far too fast for anyone to understand. Eric and Godric both understood that Sookie was trying to protect them from something and eventually they would find out. Even if they had to glamor every human she was around. Neither were above resorting to such low tactics if it meant keeping her safe. First, however, on their agenda was making sure that Bill Compton understood exactly what he had done to earn their ire. Outside of being plain stupid. Both vampires were very angry that Sookie had been relegated to nothing but a legend. They would make the world bleed crimson if it meant everyone understood she was more than just a legend.

As their day rest slipped away, both of the older vampires woke with a purpose. It happened to be a day that the bar would be closed and there would be no need for them to hide what they were doing. Both vampires knew that they had two options. They could punish Bill almost until he died, or they could let him go with a slap on the wrist. Either way there was a chance that the man might have the queen call a Tribunal. Technically since Eric was the sheriff it should be Eric who called for one but as he was a willing participant they were hoping that Bill wouldn't call one yet.

Meeting in Eric's office at the club, both vampires checked their bond with Sookie. She was awake and annoyed but it was minimal. Nothing that would warrant them to intervene just yet. It wasn't like they didn't want her to have her own life and emotions, they just felt the need to try to protect her from them. She had been away from both of them for far too long and neither vampire wanted her away any longer.

Neither Godric nor Eric needed to talk to know what the other was going to do with Bill. Both were going to take as much time as they could to punish him so thoroughly that he would think twice about bucking their justice again.

Both simply nodded at each other as they sped down to the basement at vampire speed. Bill was still chained up in silver and hadn't been able to move much. Eric made a mental note to make sure he bought Pam a nice pair of shoes for her lovely work. It also looked like she'd taken a few hits on their guest.

"Well Billy-boy.. are you willing to be honest now or do we get to play some more?"

Bill's head snapped up at the sound of Eric's voice and you could see he was trying to sneer but wasn't having much luck. Moving faster than even Eric saw, Godric was in front of the younger vampire with a snarl on his lips. He would ask the vampire if he was ever taught how to treat his betters but seeing as his maker was Lorena, he knew the answer would be no. Having a sadistic maker was bound to make Bill slightly bent.

"Your _darling _Pamela had the joy of telling me that everything I thought about this Sookie was a lie. Personally, I think she's gone senile in her age. Not that she doesn't already have a crazy maker to contend with. The girls name is Sookie Stackhouse and from what I can tell she is completely human. There is no way she's this silly legend that has everyone either in fear or jumping for joy. If she was, wouldn't we have seen more of her by now?"

Godric chalked it up to simply being a child. Compared to him or Eric, Bill was nothing more than a child. He was so young that perhaps he had forgotten about some of their more important tidbits of information. Like the fact that Sookie was the daughter of the gaul and a whole new breed of human and vampire. Hell he didn't even know if either of those names actually qualified for her, seeing as she was half both.

The look of pure anticipation on Godric's face was enough to make Eric cower back some. It had been a very long time since he'd seen his maker get angry or even this calm. There were two sides to Godric that everyone learned to fear. His angry side, they could handle it as long as they weren't on the receiving end. The other side was when he went really calm. It was abnormal in a vampire to be this mellow and it often spoke worse for the person on the other end of the feeling.

Violence was an art form to some vampires, and it showed in the canvas that was their captor. For Bill the only thing he could manage to get out of the entire ordeal was a few grunts before his teeth were removed violently. It was strange for Eric to watch his maker work but if anyone deserved more of a chance to make Compton pay it was Godric. Sookie was his daughter and Eric hadn't officially claimed her as his mate, so other than acting as a sheriff against an errant vampire in his area he really couldn't do much.

Suddenly Godric stopped the attack and frowned before dashing up the stairs. At the same time, Eric got a rather strong surge from Sookie that went from the mild annoyance they'd had to full blown rage. With Godric in the mood he was in, Eric knew it was best to let him deal with it. It wasn't more than a half hour that Godric was gone before Eric could sense Sookie upstairs.

Making his way up there he saw her resting her head on the bar and sighed. He'd help her learn to build better shields but something must have upset her enough that they were in shambles and she couldn't get them fixed. That was a matter for a later time. Eric vamped up the stairs and was by Sookie's side instantly.

When she took his offered hand he had taken her downstairs to see what they'd done to Bill before ushering her home. Their home. He would find out from Godric what happened that had his mate in such a state. Instead he order his underlings to lock up and close and scooped Sookie into his arms and took off into the night sky. This was starting to become more of a habit than he was used too.

Landing at his house, Eric quickly let the three of them inside before he moved to place Sookie down. She was already asleep and he looked at her for a moment with love in his eyes, before quickly shutting it away. He couldn't let anyone know that he was going weak for someone, at least not yet. Not until they'd secured themselves in power. Instead he placed Sookie upstairs in his bedroom, knowing that he would be joining her in a few hours. It was barely midnight and he wondered why she was so exhausted.

After knowing that Sookie was safe up in their room, Eric went and joined his maker in the den. He needed answers and at the same time he knew that Godric couldn't stay in Louisiana forever. It would bring too many questions from Sophie Anne. Setting himself down in one of the chairs, Eric looked at his maker as he saw Godric trying to restrain himself.

"What happened"

"That shifter threatened her. Told her that she was nothing more than a legend, that I was nothing more than a bedtime story that they tell supernatural children to make them fear vampires and the dark. He threatened her, told her that if she didn't stop hanging around vampires that she was fired. Then. He. Touched. Her."

Eric could feel the rage coursing through Godric in their bond. He knew that if the elder vampire had his way the shifter would have been dead. It was only the fact that it would have hurt Sookie to see Sam die that he was sure Godric would have made it bloody.

"We will deal with him touching her later. He's in my area and therefore under my jurisdiction. However, I'm worried about Sookie. We both know that she's keeping something from us. She only stayed with Mrs. Stackhouse simply because that woman is the most neutral person I have ever met. She doesn't care if you're vampire, werewolf or whatever you are. As long as you're a good person she likes you. I learned that much just talking to her. She truly does want to protect Sookie and she wouldn't tell me a single thing."

Frowning, the blonde sighed as he voiced more of his thoughts.

"Sookie knows something Godric, but it won't do us any good to try to force it out of her. I take it, however, from the spike in her emotions that she is no longer employed at the bar? I have an idea about that and I know that you cannot stay here forever. Texas needs you and if you stay much longer Sophie Anne might very well get the idea that she can control you and force you to swear fealty to her."

Godric just smiled at Eric as he thought about the pain he wanted to inflict on the shifter. No one touched his daughter like that and got away with it. True he couldn't stay much longer, but he would never be too far away. He just needed to get back so he could do research without being found out.

"I'll head back to Dallas tomorrow. We can't let your queen know that we suspect her in anything. I think she'll be calling you soon, about Bill. Let it slip that he was caught attacking someone that had the protection of the council. That should stall her plans for a little while at least. Bill will be healed up soon enough if he's feeding the way I think he is. I don't buy his mainstreaming act one bit. I'll check in on Sookie soon but for now let us retire for the evening and prepare for the day."

With that said, both Godric and Eric stood up and went to check on Sookie. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully but Eric could smell the scent of the shifter on her skin where he touched her, and saw the bruises that had formed. Crouching down by her, Eric let his fangs extend as he growled. Godric wasn't much better but both worked to control themselves. There was nothing they could do while she was sleeping. Instead they simply changed and climbed in bed with her, each one holding her close to them as if she was something fragile.


	12. Chapter 12

It was strange how quickly a day could turn into night for someone who'd not actually been used to being on a vampire's schedule. Lately, Sookie had found herself sleeping most of the day away and then getting up and spending most of the night with her father, Eric or someone else. It wasn't a life she was used to; at least not anymore. Deep in her gut, the young woman knew that she had to adjust. She was over two thousand years old and there was no way to avoid change. It was going to come whether someone was willing to have it or not.

When she awoke to two bodies beside her on the bed, she paused a moment, until she realized they were two people she had grown fond of. One she was sure she loved without question, the other she still didn't know her feelings for. On her right was her father, Godric, wrapped around her as if she was going to break at any moment and curled up on her left was Eric. For a moment Sookie wondered how the exceptionally tall Viking managed to curl himself around her as if she wasn't a tiny little thing.

Yawning and stretching, the blonde knew that she wasn't the only one awake. Both sets of eyes from the vampires were on her as she woke. They were worried, she didn't need a blood bond with them to understand that. Of course they could sense her emotions as well and they knew she was hiding something. Sookie yawned again, still far more tired than she should be given the situation.

When Godric was sure that Sookie wasn't pretending to delay them getting up. With a slight pat on her leg, the elder vampire motioned for them both to get up. They had things to discuss. Mainly the events of last night and the reason that Godric had to go get Sookie.

"Come, let us get ready for the night and Sookie can tell us what happened with the shifter."

"Yes, father."

She spoke softly as if she was afraid of his reaction to the events. Her blue eyes were downcast and for a moment the young woman blamed herself for the events. If she hadn't somewhat learned to trust the man she wouldn't have been in this spot. As it was, he had been the one to relay information to Eric and saved her life only to give her an ultimatum about who she could and could not see.

Eric slipped a finger under Sookie's chin and brought her face up so that he could look into her blue eyes.

"You are saddened by what happened I can tell. I do not believe that it is your fault so you must not allow it to get you down. Go, change and join us downstairs."

Sookie didn't argue, instead she stared into the icy blue eyes of Eric. It was as if nothing mattered at the moment but spending time right there in his gaze. In truth, Sookie had no idea how long she spent staring at Eric only that hearing her father clear his voice snapped her out of it.

Knowing that it was pointless to argue, Sookie exited the bed and frowned. She was still dressed in her Merlotte's uniform and smelled like grease and sweat. It was not a combination that she found attractive and in truth she couldn't wait to be in something else.

Staring at the mirror that was just above the dresser in the room, Sookie knew she looked a sight. Her skin was marred still with the bruises from Sam's actions and any of the vampires that liked her, that saw it, might possibly want to kill the man. Not that Sookie would blame them. Ever since she'd learned that she could hear the thoughts of others, the blonde had learned that what people thought and what they said weren't always the same thing. It was normal for humans. Sam had been no different, at first. Until he found out who she really was, then everything changed.

Heading into the bathroom that was attached to the room she had been sleeping in, Sookie looked around. She had known that Eric had a large house with plenty of guest rooms but each of them seemed rather large. At least from her point of view given her situation the last few years. In all honesty there wasn't much time for Sookie to dwell on the events that happened. Either she was going to be honest and tell them or she was going to dodge the situation and make them angrier. She'd seen her father angry on a few occasions and knew that it wasn't pretty. If her father was that bad, she feared how Eric would be seeing as he was Godric's progeny.

Instead of delaying like she wanted too, Sookie showered. She wasn't super quick but she also was not planning on spending as long in the shower as she truly wanted. Time wasn't really of the essence but she knew better than to make them wait. Vampires were notorious for having little patience with people that made them wait. It was also why she didn't believe that Bill was late by accident.

Noticing the clothing sitting out on the bed as she exited the bathroom, Sookie smiled. She was very well versed in noticing the things that her father chose for her to wear and this was one of his. The dress was a soft baby blue that would accent her eyes and the fabric was durable but versatile. Slipping on the garments, Sookie dried her hair as best as she could and then headed out to the den to speak with the vampires.

It wasn't hard to find where Godric and Eric were, Sookie could hear their voices as if they were standing right next to her. Everyone assumed that because she was some human that she didn't understand what was being said around her. Only, they never realized that she was an immortal human, was well over two thousand years old, had abilities that some vampires wanted and others already had. She had the fangs and the blood lust, the senses and the speed. Yet she could also go out in the sunlight, was warm like a human, and didn't have to sleep like they did.

She could see how it was easy for people to forget that she wasn't exactly human. Sookie let her eyes scan the room in front of her, looking for threats, not that she was going to find any in Eric's house. It was still there, though, the training that Godric had taught her. Moving to sit on the floor by her father, Sookie closed her eyes for a moment. At least until she felt hands going through her hair. Opening her eyes, Sookie stared at Eric inquisitively but didn't move.

Eric did the one thing he used to do for his mother when he was human, something he was looking forward to do for his baby sister before her death. Gently he ran his fingers through Sookie's hair before he started to part the locks into sections. His fingers were deft as they braided the hair into a fashion that was popular with his tribe at the time he was human. She had long enough hair that he could do this.

When the braid was done, Eric spoke softly, wondering if Sookie would actually give them answers they wanted or if she was going to lie to them again. He would never understand why she felt like doing that. Lying was only going to take them longer to fix the situation than not.

"Tell us what had your emotions all over the place yesterday and last night. It was bad enough that Godric had to leave me to deal with Bill and go get you."

Sighing, Sookie wondered if she could explain things to him in a way that he would understand, that both of them would understand. He father was silent the entire time that she'd been sitting there letting Eric braid her hair and he hadn't said anything. He wasn't exactly sure what to say at the moment. This was Sookie's time.

"I've been working for Sam Merlotte for the last few years. At least since I ended up in Bon Temps. At first things were great. I could hear his thoughts, could tell that he wasn't human. Different supernatural creatures have different thought patterns. Weres so far are still the hardest to read, even after all this time. It wasn't hard to know what Sam thought. I didn't get the job because he thought I was smart."

Sookie paused a moment there and let the words sink in. It wasn't wrong of her to say it. Most of the waitresses that had gotten the job were ones that Sam thought he had a shot at. So far only Sookie had turned him down. Not that it was so hard to do. Sam Merlotte was not someone she would be with, ever.

"I told him that I knew that he wasn't human and he knew that I wasn't exactly normal either. He was the second one in Bon Temps to know about my 'gift', Adele being the first. Sam would do what he could to cover up any mistakes I made, which were few but sometimes too many voices still overwhelm me, even after all these years. I haven't been able to practice my shields as much since I escaped my confines and Sam tried to help with that, for a price of course. Then vampires came out of the coffin, so to speak."

As she was telling her story, Sookie knew that her emotions were all over the place. Why wouldn't they be? The woman was basically telling them what had led up to the events last night. At least she was trying to in her own words without sugarcoating anything or making the situation seem much worse.

"I honestly don't know what Sam's personal views are against vampires but he has been raging against them since you guys announced what you were. He only ordered True Blood for the bar because he was legally obligated to. Not that anyone expected any vampire to come to Bon Temps, its such a backwater town. For a while it was fan. Just Sam and his anti-vampire hatred spewing and a few others like Arlene agreeing with him. Then Bill showed up and everything changed."

Running a hand across her face, Sookie was thinking about what she was supposed to say next. Of course everything changed when the vampires decided to go public. It would. They couldn't stay hidden forever, not with the advances in forensic science and the invention of True Blood. No one would have expected them to be able to remain hidden for much longer anyhow so them coming out was the only plausible option.

"I wanted nothing to do with Bill but the vampire had chosen to sit in my section. I couldn't just ignore him. I was paid to do a job after all. That was when Sam got violent. After I 'saved' Bill from the drainers that first night Sam got angry. The next few times I was at work were not so happy. It's not easy to block out someone's mental voice and then their physical voice as well. At least when both are raging over vampires. Then came attack and the message I had Sam send to you. That's when things got to be their worst. He gave you the message about who I was, who I really was and yet he thought I was making it up. Yet he delivered it. For that, I am grateful, it's the one action he has done that could have possibly redeemed himself."

Sookie wanted Eric and Godric to say something, anything but both were remaining quiet and still. It was out of respect. She could sense the rage boiling in each of them but they were working very hard to control it. Being able to feel the emotions like they could was making it harder for her to control herself. Taking a deep breathe Sookie knew that she had to continue on with her story.

"After my rescue by Eric and you, papa, Sam plotted. Even when I came back and it was my day off he conned me into coming into work. Said that we were short-handed. It was a lie. He didn't need my help and once I was already there he wouldn't let me leave. I could have left yes, but things did get busy and the girls needed my help. So I stayed. He tried to talk me into working a double. That was the annoyance and frustration and then things went down from there. He demanded to know what I thought I was doing with the vampers. That I should stay away from them. When I told him that my father was a vampire he lost all sense of reason. Tried to tell me I was lying, that the things he told Eric had been a lie. That he thought I was playing some sort of joke. Apparently, I've become nothing more than a fairytale for the supernatural world. Someone that doesn't really exist. He grabbed me and tried to slam me into the wall, after a slap and shake some sense into me. Not that It would help any."

Leaning back against leg of the chair, Sookie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was tired of all the things going on in her life. For once she'd actually like things to be relatively calm in her life. Like they used to be those few short weeks she had spent with Adele before she'd met Sam Merlotte and everything else.

"Papa came in just as Sam was telling me that the legends about myself were nothing more than fairy-tales. He stopped Sam from doing something more than bruising my arms. I know how hard it was for him not to kill Sam, for both of you not to kill him. I can't say that we need him. I don't know. I do know that he told me I no longer had a job and was no longer welcome in the bar. I now have no place to live, no job, which means I cannot afford to eat or do anything."

"That is untrue."

Sookies head snapped over to Eric. She could feel her father's determination to take care of her as well as Eric's and it stunned her for a moment. She knew that her own father would want to take care of but she was still resisting Eric being her mate. She didn't really know the viking even if her gut was telling her to trust him. So far he'd come through for her when he knew she needed the help and even now when she wasn't even sure she deserved it.

"What?"

"Sookie. You have accounts in your name. You've always had money in your name. You just left before you knew about it. As if I'd let my baby girl do without. Anything you need you'll get, you know this. So this is no matter to worry about."

Godric was firm in his answer and Sookie knew better than to argue. They would only force her into the situation whether she liked it or not. In truth, she hadn't known the inner workings of her father's mind. She had no idea that he would put money away for her, not that she was surprised. No what surprised her the most was Eric and his reaction to the situation.

"He's not the only one that's got plans set aside for you. If you need a job, we've got space at my bar. You don't have to worry about any of that. I'm sure if you need clothing Pam would be happy to shop for you, or take you with her."

Sookie took a deep breath. None of this was anything that she had been expecting. Both vampires were willing to take care of her and she had done nothing to earn it. Nothing to deserve it and it shocked her. For a good long while Sookie sat there quiet. There was nothing that she could do to change the outcome, she could only move forward. They didn't need to know about Sophie Anne yet, at least that's what she told herself mentally as she tried to take in the situation around her.

Godric knew that he needed to get back to Dallas, if only for a little while. Eric would take care of making sure that Sookie stayed safe and he would come back to visit when he could. He wished that he could stay but he had duties in his state.

"I must get back to Dallas. I will come back as soon as I can. Sookie stay out of trouble and keep me informed of any changes. Especially if they involve the Shifter and Mr. Compton."

Allowing his little girl to hug him, Godric kissed her forehead before he gathered his things and was out of Eric's house. Both of the vampires were worried about Sookie. She was better than she was when they'd first saved her but she wasn't to her full potential yet. That much he did know. Godric had no doubt that more pain and drama would follow before they could be done with this.

Sookie looked at Eric as she watched her father leave. Biting her lip in confusion she had no idea what she was supposed to do now. Sookie had nothing to do to occupy her time and some of her things were still back in Bon Temps. Although, she was quite sure that she had nothing left of hers anyway.

"Come. We need to get to Fangtasia. I have some business to attend too. You can work for me, listen to the employees and patrons. I'll pay you well for it. We will talk more about your situation at another time. For now, we must depart."

Sookie didn't say anything instead, she took Eric's offered hand as he set them flying up in the sky. The trip from his home to Fangtasia didn't take long as he set her down by the employee entrance, kissing her on the cheek and then darting inside. Taking a moment to gather herself, Sookie pushed her way into the bar and headed towards Longshadow and the front of the club.

Ordering herself a gin and tonic the blond moved to sit at Eric's booth. She could see the looks on the faces of the other humans as she put herself where they wanted to be. Sipping at her drink, Sookie decided that for now, she'd do as Eric asked. Using the time to honestly think about her situation.


End file.
